Is the methodological culture of teaching geography changing?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to introduce the changes since the latest study of approach, attitude and methodological culture of geography teachers in Hungary. An online survey research was carried out including closed and open-ended questions among primary and secondary school students, examining students’ attitude to different subjects, primarily geography. Analysing responses, the problems in connection with teaching and learning geography, to which several experts had drawn attention to earlier, are clearly visible and are highlighted. Our findings confirm that the practice of teaching geography – despite the efforts in curriculum – has not been able to secede from the teacher- and assessment-centred attitude fetishizing subject matter. Only a slight movement in the direction of active learning can be observed (see Chrappán, 2017). Geography both in the educational system and in society is losing prestige along with teaching science despite having two other pivot points (human geography and synthesis of geography) even though recently numerous methodological suggestions, online and offline support packs have appeared to help the teachers’ work.