What is Geographical Thinking, and How Can It Be Enhanced?

doi:10.17279/jkagee.2024.32.4.77

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2024 Vol.32, Issue 4 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

What is Geographical Thinking, and How Can It Be Enhanced? 지리적 사고란 무엇인가? 그리고 어떻게 향상시킬 수 있는가?: 이종원
Jongwon Lee; 이화여자대학교 사회과교육과 교수

Professor, Department of Social Studies Education, Ewha Womans University

30 November 2024. pp. 77~91

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Abstract

This study explores the essence of geographical thinking, a fundamental concept in geography and geography education, and aims to develop an effective framework of questions to foster this skill. The research identifies spatial thinking, integrative thinking, and relational thinking as the key components of geographical thinking through a review of the literature. These elements are interrelated and play a central role in understanding and analyzing geographical phenomena. Various studies have employed geographical questions to cultivate geographical thinking, often structured around the core questions: “What is it?”, “Where is it?”, and “Why is it there?” Additional questions such as “How?” and “Why is it important?” have been used depending on the objective. This study proposes a new set of seven key questions designed to foster geographical thinking: “What is it?”, “Where is it?”, “Why is it there?”, “How is it connected to other regions?”, “How has it changed over time?”, “Why is it important?”, and “What can I do?” These questions are aligned with the spatial, integrative, and relational aspects of geographical thinking. To support the practical application of this question framework, examples and methods for implementation in educational settings are provided. Future research should focus on empirical studies to evaluate the educational effectiveness of the proposed question framework.

Keywords

Geographical thinking

spatial thinking

integrative thinking

relational thinking

geographical questions

본 연구는 지리학과 지리교육의 핵심 개념인 지리적 사고의 본질을 탐구하고, 이를 함양하기 위한 효과적인 질문의 틀을 제안하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 연구 결과는 다음과 같이 요약할 수 있다. 문헌 연구를 통해 지리적 사고의 주요 구성 요소로 공간적 사고, 통합적 사고, 관계적 사고를 도출하였다. 이들 요소는 상호 연관되어 있으며, 지리적 현상을 이해하고 분석하는데 핵심적인 역할을 한다. 지리적 사고를 함양하기 위해 지리적 질문을 활용해 왔으며, 다수의 연구들이 ‘무엇인가?, 어디인가?, 왜 거기인가?’의 세 질문을 중심으로 목적에 따라 ‘어떻게?’, ‘왜 중요한가?’ 등의 질문을 추가해 왔다. 지리적 사고의 함양을 위한 새로운 질문을 제시하였으며, 7개의 주요 질문(무엇인가? 어디인가? 왜 거기인가? 다른 지역과 어떻게 연결되는가? 어떻게 변해 왔는가? 왜 중요한가? 나는 무엇을 할 수 있는가?)을 제시하였다. 이들은 각각 지리적 사고의 공간적 측면, 통합적 측면, 관계적 측면과 연결되었다. 개발된 지리적 질문의 현장적용을 지원하기 위해 질문이 적용된 사례와 활용방법을 제시하였다. 향후 연구에서는 제안된 질문 틀의 실제 교육 방법과 효과를 검증하는 실증적 연구가 필요할 것이다.

키워드

지리적 사고

공간적 사고

통합적 사고

관계적 사고

지리적 질문

References

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박환이·강신호, 1975, 지리교육의 실제, 이찬, 강신호, 김연옥, 박환이, 정장호, 황재기 (공저), 교과교육학전서 7 – 지리과교육, 161-234, 능력개발.
송언근, 2009, 지리하기와 지리교육, 교육과학사.
양병일, 2021, “지리적 사고의 이해를 위한 인지 전략 모델의 제안”, 한국지리학회지, 10(2), 193-206.10.25202/JAKG.10.2.1
이간용, 2018, “「통합사회」 교과서에 나타난 지리 개념의 문제점과 대안 고찰”, 한국지리환경교육학회지, 26(4), 63-78.
이간용, 2022, “지리교육의 정체성 강화를 위한 성찰적 일고(一考)”, 한국지리환경교육학회지, 30(2), 51-64.
장의선, 2007, “시스템 사고를 배경으로 한 지리적 사고의 재구성”, 한국지리환경교육학회지, 15(1), 77-92.10.17279/jkagee.2007.15.1.77
조철기, 2020, 지리수업과 공동체를 연결하는 장소기반 지리교육, 경북대학교출판부.
Abler, R. F. What shall we say? to whom shall we speak? Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 77(4), 511-524. 10.1111/j.1467-8306.1987.tb00177.x
Baerwald, T. J., 2010, Prospects for geography as an interdisciplinary discipline, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 100(3), 493-501.10.1080/00045608.2010.485443
Bednarz, S. W., Bettis, N. C., Boehm, R. G., De Souza, A. R., Downs, R. M., Marran, J. F., Morrill, R. W., and Salter, C. L., 1994, Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994, National Geographic Society.
Bendl, T., Krajňáková, L., Marada, M., and Řezníčková, D., 2024, Geographical thinking in geography education: A systematic review, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, DOI: 10.1080/10382046.2024.235409710.1080/10382046.2024.2354097
Brooks, C., 2017, International differences in thinking geographically, and why ‘the local’ matters, In C. Brooks, G. Butt, and M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 169-180, London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_12PMC5715501
Clements, D. H., 2004, Geometric and spatial thinking in young children, In D. H. Clements & J. Sarama (Eds.), Engaging Young Children in Mathematics: Standards for Early Childhood Mathematics Education, 267-297, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Edelson, D. C., 2011, Geo-literacy - Preparation for 21st-century decision-making, National Geographic Society. https://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer12articles/geo-education-preparation-for-21st-century-decisions.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqa9hRagWrRGjFyxGRtZaWDSvbiXWwaUjYFzNN3Bji-cOxLNVTq
Fögele, J., 2017, Acquiring powerful thinking through geographical key concepts, In C. Brooks, G. Butt, & M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 59-73, London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_5
Geographical Association, 2012, Thinking Geographically, https://geography.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GA_GINCConsultation_ThinkingGeographically_NC_2012.pdf
Golledge, R., 2002, The nature of geographic knowledge, Annuals of the Association of American Geographers, 92(1), 1-14. 10.1111/1467-8306.00276
Gregg, M. and Leinhardt, G., 1994, Mapping out geography: An example of epistemology and education, Review of Educational Research, 64(2), 311-361.10.3102/00346543064002311
Gritzner, C. F., 2002, What is where, why there, and why care? Journal of Geography, 101(1), 38-40.10.1080/00221340208978465
Hanson, S., 2004, Who are ‘we’? An important question for geography’s future, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 94(4), 715-722.10.1111/j.1467-8306.2004.00425.x
He, Y., Tani, S., and Puustinen, M., 2024, GeoCapabilities approach to climate change education: Developing an epistemic model for geographical thinking, Journalof Geography, 123(2-3), 23-31, DOI: 10.1080/00221341.2024.233494610.1080/00221341.2024.2334946
Jackson, P., 2006, Thinking geographically, Geography, 91(3), 199-204.10.1080/00167487.2006.12094167
Leat, D., 1998, Thinking Through Geography, Cambridge: Chris Kington.
Lee, J., in press, Geographical thinking versus spatial thinking, In S. W. Bednarz & J. T. Mitchell (Eds.), Handbook of Geography Education, Springer.
Matthews, J. A. and Herbert, D. T., 2008, Geography: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press.10.1093/actrade/9780199211289.001.0001
Maude, A., 2009, Re-centring geography: A school-based perspective on the nature of the discipline, Geographical Research, 47(4), 368-379.10.1111/j.1745-5871.2009.00589.x
McCune, S., 1970, Geography: where? why? so what? Journal of Geography, 69(8), 454-457. 10.1080/00221347008982290
Ministry of Education Singapore, 2023, Geography teaching and learning syllabus - Upper secondary express and normal (academic).
Morgan, J., 2013, What do we mean by thinking geographically? In D. Lambert & M. Jones, (Eds.), Debates in Geography Education, 273-281, London: Routledge.
Murphy, A., 2014, Geography’s crosscutting themes: Golden anniversary reflections on The four traditions of geography, Journal of Geography, 113(5), 181-188.10.1080/00221341.2014.918639
National Research Council (NRC), 1997, Rediscovering Geography: New Relevance for Science and Society, Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment), 2017, Junior Cycle Geography, Government of Ireland.
Örbring, D., 2017, Geographical and spatial thinking in the Swedish curriculum, In C. Brooks, G. Butt, & M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 137-150, London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_10
Pattison, W. D., 1964, The four traditions of geography, Journal of Geography, 63(5), 211-216.10.1080/00221346408985265
Rawding, C., 2013, The importance of teaching ‘holistic’ geographies, Teaching Geography, 39(1), 10-13.
Roberts, M., 2013, Geography Through Enquiry: Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the Secondary School, Geograhical Association.
Taaffe, E. J., 1974, The spatial view in context, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 64(1), 1-16.10.1111/j.1467-8306.1974.tb00950.x
Uhlenwinkel, A., 2017, Geographical thinking: Is it a limitation or powerful thinking? In C. Brooks, G. Butt, & M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 41-53. London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_4

Information

Publisher :The Korean Association Of Geographic And Environmental Education
Publisher(Ko) :한국지리환경교육학회
Journal Title :The Journal of The Korean Association of Geographic and Environmental Education
Journal Title(Ko) :한국지리환경교육학회지
Volume : 32
No :4
Pages :77~91
DOI :https://doi.org/10.17279/jkagee.2024.32.4.77

[1] 김다원, 2022, “지리적 사고력을 위한 위치지식의 개념화와 위치교육의 방안 연구”, 한국지리학회지, 11(3), 305-318.10.25202/JAKG.11.3.3

[2] 박환이·강신호, 1975, 지리교육의 실제, 이찬, 강신호, 김연옥, 박환이, 정장호, 황재기 (공저), 교과교육학전서 7 – 지리과교육, 161-234, 능력개발.

[3] 송언근, 2009, 지리하기와 지리교육, 교육과학사.

[4] 양병일, 2021, “지리적 사고의 이해를 위한 인지 전략 모델의 제안”, 한국지리학회지, 10(2), 193-206.10.25202/JAKG.10.2.1

[5] 이간용, 2018, “「통합사회」 교과서에 나타난 지리 개념의 문제점과 대안 고찰”, 한국지리환경교육학회지, 26(4), 63-78.

[6] 이간용, 2022, “지리교육의 정체성 강화를 위한 성찰적 일고(一考)”, 한국지리환경교육학회지, 30(2), 51-64.

[7] 장의선, 2007, “시스템 사고를 배경으로 한 지리적 사고의 재구성”, 한국지리환경교육학회지, 15(1), 77-92.10.17279/jkagee.2007.15.1.77

[8] 조철기, 2020, 지리수업과 공동체를 연결하는 장소기반 지리교육, 경북대학교출판부.

[9] Abler, R. F. What shall we say? to whom shall we speak? Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 77(4), 511-524. 10.1111/j.1467-8306.1987.tb00177.x

[10] Baerwald, T. J., 2010, Prospects for geography as an interdisciplinary discipline, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 100(3), 493-501.10.1080/00045608.2010.485443

[11] Bednarz, S. W., Bettis, N. C., Boehm, R. G., De Souza, A. R., Downs, R. M., Marran, J. F., Morrill, R. W., and Salter, C. L., 1994, Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994, National Geographic Society.

[12] Bendl, T., Krajňáková, L., Marada, M., and Řezníčková, D., 2024, Geographical thinking in geography education: A systematic review, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, DOI: 10.1080/10382046.2024.235409710.1080/10382046.2024.2354097

[13] Brooks, C., 2017, International differences in thinking geographically, and why ‘the local’ matters, In C. Brooks, G. Butt, and M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 169-180, London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_12PMC5715501

[14] Clements, D. H., 2004, Geometric and spatial thinking in young children, In D. H. Clements & J. Sarama (Eds.), Engaging Young Children in Mathematics: Standards for Early Childhood Mathematics Education, 267-297, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

[15] Edelson, D. C., 2011, Geo-literacy - Preparation for 21st-century decision-making, National Geographic Society. https://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer12articles/geo-education-preparation-for-21st-century-decisions.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqa9hRagWrRGjFyxGRtZaWDSvbiXWwaUjYFzNN3Bji-cOxLNVTq

[16] Fögele, J., 2017, Acquiring powerful thinking through geographical key concepts, In C. Brooks, G. Butt, & M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 59-73, London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_5

[17] Geographical Association, 2012, Thinking Geographically, https://geography.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GA_GINCConsultation_ThinkingGeographically_NC_2012.pdf

[18] Golledge, R., 2002, The nature of geographic knowledge, Annuals of the Association of American Geographers, 92(1), 1-14. 10.1111/1467-8306.00276

[19] Gregg, M. and Leinhardt, G., 1994, Mapping out geography: An example of epistemology and education, Review of Educational Research, 64(2), 311-361.10.3102/00346543064002311

[20] Gritzner, C. F., 2002, What is where, why there, and why care? Journal of Geography, 101(1), 38-40.10.1080/00221340208978465

[21] Hanson, S., 2004, Who are ‘we’? An important question for geography’s future, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 94(4), 715-722.10.1111/j.1467-8306.2004.00425.x

[22] He, Y., Tani, S., and Puustinen, M., 2024, GeoCapabilities approach to climate change education: Developing an epistemic model for geographical thinking, Journalof Geography, 123(2-3), 23-31, DOI: 10.1080/00221341.2024.233494610.1080/00221341.2024.2334946

[23] Jackson, P., 2006, Thinking geographically, Geography, 91(3), 199-204.10.1080/00167487.2006.12094167

[24] Leat, D., 1998, Thinking Through Geography, Cambridge: Chris Kington.

[25] Lee, J., in press, Geographical thinking versus spatial thinking, In S. W. Bednarz & J. T. Mitchell (Eds.), Handbook of Geography Education, Springer.

[26] Matthews, J. A. and Herbert, D. T., 2008, Geography: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press.10.1093/actrade/9780199211289.001.0001

[27] Maude, A., 2009, Re-centring geography: A school-based perspective on the nature of the discipline, Geographical Research, 47(4), 368-379.10.1111/j.1745-5871.2009.00589.x

[28] McCune, S., 1970, Geography: where? why? so what? Journal of Geography, 69(8), 454-457. 10.1080/00221347008982290

[29] Ministry of Education Singapore, 2023, Geography teaching and learning syllabus - Upper secondary express and normal (academic).

[30] Morgan, J., 2013, What do we mean by thinking geographically? In D. Lambert & M. Jones, (Eds.), Debates in Geography Education, 273-281, London: Routledge.

[31] Murphy, A., 2014, Geography’s crosscutting themes: Golden anniversary reflections on The four traditions of geography, Journal of Geography, 113(5), 181-188.10.1080/00221341.2014.918639

[32] National Research Council (NRC), 1997, Rediscovering Geography: New Relevance for Science and Society, Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

[33] NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment), 2017, Junior Cycle Geography, Government of Ireland.

[34] Örbring, D., 2017, Geographical and spatial thinking in the Swedish curriculum, In C. Brooks, G. Butt, & M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 137-150, London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_10

[35] Pattison, W. D., 1964, The four traditions of geography, Journal of Geography, 63(5), 211-216.10.1080/00221346408985265

[36] Rawding, C., 2013, The importance of teaching ‘holistic’ geographies, Teaching Geography, 39(1), 10-13.

[37] Roberts, M., 2013, Geography Through Enquiry: Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the Secondary School, Geograhical Association.

[38] Taaffe, E. J., 1974, The spatial view in context, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 64(1), 1-16.10.1111/j.1467-8306.1974.tb00950.x

[39] Uhlenwinkel, A., 2017, Geographical thinking: Is it a limitation or powerful thinking? In C. Brooks, G. Butt, & M. Fargher (Eds.), The Power of Geographical Thinking, 41-53. London: Springer.10.1007/978-3-319-49986-4_4

The Journal of The Korean Association of Geographic and Environmental Education ISSN:1226-511X(Print) 2586-5641(Online) 한국지리환경교육학회지

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