Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
did not learn proper methods during their teacher training. For instance, elementary
school teachers usually graduate from teaching training college or school, but these
programs do not offer a class that focuses on the signifi cance and methods of fi eld
research for non-geography majors. A survey of every student enrolled in the ele-
mentary school teaching license course at teacher training colleges and schools
indicated that that only 11 of 49 universities (approximately 22 %) included fi eld
research in their curriculum (Shinohara
2001
). As Ida et al. (
1992
) have remarked,
teachers who experienced fi eld research in college are likely to include it in their
classes because they understand the importance of outdoor research.
7
Therefore, the
author considers it necessary to establish a requirement for pre-service teachers to
learn the signifi cance and methods of fi eld research, by participating in compulsory
teacher training on the topic.
It is also necessary to build a system whereby relevant materials and infor-
mation about field research are shared among teachers. In particular, elemen-
tary and junior high school teachers spend much time preparing for field
research (e.g., the development of teaching materials for local area study).
With a way to share materials (such as maps and lesson plans) and best prac-
tices, teachers with little field research experience can more effectively intro-
duce it to their Social Studies classes. However, because of the lack of such a
system, new teachers are left to design their lessons in isolation, with little
support and relevant materials.
Since 1989, when Geography (and Japanese History) were combined to form the
course “Geography and History,” it has become an elective subject. The number of
students who study Geography has declined since World History became a compulsory
subject in senior high school. Since then, it has become increasingly diffi cult to
conduct fi eld research. It is especially challenging for fi eld research to be done in
distant provinces, another contributor to the poor implementation of fi eld research
in senior high school. It is critical now to consider how to restore geography to a
compulsory status, as one way to increase fi eld research implementation.
7.5
Conclusion
In fi eld research, geographic characteristics and tasks become clear to students
through careful observation of the scenery and data collected. The goal of fi eld
research cannot be replaced by classroom instruction. Knowledge gained from
7
Nevertheless, according to a questionnaire survey of junior high school teachers in Miyagi
Prefecture (Miyamoto
2009
), 19 of 128 teachers (15 %) participated in fi eld research when they
were college students, among which only 6 teachers (31 %) conducted outdoor fi eld research in
junior high school. This shows that the experience of fi eld research in college does not necessarily
lead to a high implementation rate in class. There are few teachers with college fi eld research
experience, so it might be diffi cult to generalize this result. However, we cannot rule out the pos-
sibility that it has become diffi cult to implement fi eld research in junior high schools owing to a
tightening of conditions for its implementation.
