Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine geography teachers' understanding of geographic inquiry, the factors shaping this understanding, the role they adopt in geographic inquiry studies, their applications in the learning environment and the problems they experience in the application. The research was conducted with 209 geography teachers in the 2021-2022 academic year. The questionnaire used in this research, in which survey design was used, was developed by the researcher. In the study, frequency and percentage values of the data obtained from the semi-structured and multiple-choice survey questions were calculated. The answers given to the open-ended questions were combined under certain themes and codes. According to the findings, more than half of the teachers accept that geographic inquiry is an approach. Of the teachers participating in the study, 15.3% had never heard of geographic inquiry before. Teachers focused on questions and problems to conduct geographic inquiry work. They gave examples of the problems especially related to the 'environment and society' unit. The thematic area identified by the teachers as the subject of inquiry is Turkey. Some of the key concepts that come to the fore in the inquiry are space, region, location, geopolitics, place, and time. As for the material, maps have remained important for inquiry. The idea that geographic inquiry can be done through fieldwork is quite common. They preferred to question the current problems of Turkey and the world such as natural disasters, earthquakes, drought, global warming, climate change, migration, and food crisis.Teachers mentioned many problems ranging from motivation to lack of geographical knowledge and skills. Teachers mostly adopted roles appropriate to the closed inquiry model in the learning environment. The results showed that in the classroom, an approach that is embedded in traditional teaching, where students are engaged in activities, was applied. In order to improve geography teachers' geographic inquiry skills, it is recommended to support their professional knowledge with pedagogical content knowledge.