Getting Started with Primary Geography Research
Guidance for researchers
This guidance is aimed at primary teachers, subject leaders and heads who are looking for stimulation for a Masters degree, for action research connected with CPD and for work with school networks such as the Cambridge Primary Review (CPR) National Primary Network.
It will also be of interest to geography teachers in secondary schools and colleges who are considering undertaking a research project, particulary those concerned with transition issues between KS2 and KS3.
The Examples of Research page provides samples of previous primary research projects while the Research Articles page provides a comprehensive selection of published papers.
Research guidance downloads
The following documents provide comprehensive guidance for anyone undertaking an action research project:
Websites on Research Guidance and Information is a 25 page PDF containing links to useful websites. It has been organised into four sections: advice on small research projects and action research; official sites supported with government money; independent sites who work closely with government agencies; associations, research groups and individuals.
Primary Research Guidance and Information provides listings of research databases plus online and print based journals. It should be particularly helpful when undertaking your literature search.
Looking for ideas?
Here are some suggestions for research topics:
The nature of the geography curriculum
- Teachers' beliefs and understandings about geography in the curriculum: personal and educational values and aims (e.g. are you determined to improve observational skills, or draw attention to similarities between communities, despite differences in culture?).
- What teachers select to teach, both topics and content: attitudes to and knowledge of geography (e.g. how far does the whole school policy determine the topics chosen in order to fit in with citizenship?).
- Why and how teachers organise their geography planning as they do: planning skills (e.g. are you affected by a whole school policy of year group planning on a weekly
basis?). - The classroom environment teachers provide for pupils (e.g. how much are displays used by the children? Do they follow a continuous QCA scheme and achieve the objective of the scheme?).
The teaching of geography
- Why and how teachers select their teaching approaches (e.g. when is a carousel approach appropriate?).
- Ways in which teachers plan their use of teaching strategies and then carry these out.
- How teachers capitalise, or not, on pupils' experiences outside and in school (e.g. do you know where they play? How far do they roam? What other interests are being developed?).
- The types of questions teachers and pupils ask (e.g. have you ever recorded group discussions when sorting out geographical enquiries?).
- The way teachers respond to pupils' questions, including the explanations given (e.g. there is scope here for both audio and video recording - see TTA reports on this approach).
- Approaches to drawing out description and analysis from pupils (e.g. is this just done in geography, or do circle and literacy times for example have a role to play?).
- How teachers use teaching resources (e.g. is an atlas/world map/local A-Z always available to use?)
Pupils' learning of geography through taught educational activities
- What pupils do and learn in geography sessions.
- What pupils think about geography and aspects of geography.
- How pupils relate their in-school experience and learning to out-of-school experience and learning, and vice versa.
- How the geography of the school environment affects their learning.
- Clarity about pupils' conceptions and misconceptions
After: Catling, S. (2000) 'The importance of classroom research in primary geography' in Raising Achievement in Geography Occasional Paper No. 1 p.29-38 ISBN 0-95381154-0-4
Further information
GTIP Orientation Piece on Research - created for the teacher education community, this article discusses the role of research in ITE courses and looks at research that is relevant to geographical education.
Collecting Evidence - Simon Catling's summary of techniques for gathering evidence in primary geography research, including relevant examples.
Place Attachment, Place Identity and the Development of the Child's Self-identity: Searching the literature to develop an hypothesis - a useful article by Professor Christopher Spencer that guides you through the process of working out the required structure of your investigation, no matter how small.
Comment on this page
Comments made by GA members appear instantly - make sure you're logged in! Guest comments will be sent to a moderator for approval.
Current conversations
What our website visitors are talking about.