The use of Geographical Information Systems for the promotion of spatial cognition, spatial perspective taking and problem solving in school level geography

A question asked at the United States of America (USA) National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) conference in 1967, namely, what learning does GIS allow that other ways do not and whether teaching GIS at school level is worth the time and effort required to implement it, remains largely unanswered. Literature searches suggest that little more has been done since 1967 to investigate the effectiveness of GIS in education, or that there are any findings to suggest that GIS is worth the time and effort to implement in schools. Internationally the implementation of GIS software and geo-spatial data in schools has been slow, and South Africa is no exception. The main reasons given for slow implementation internationally have included lack of resources, lack of training and lack of time. The majority of secondary schools that offer Geography in the Port Elizabeth Education District, South Africa, teach GIS theory without the use of GIS software and geo-spatial data. The purpose of this research was to elicit the perceptions of secondary school level Geography teachers and learners of the benefits, barriers and obstacles to implementing GIS software and geo-spatial data as a teaching strategy. As a focused exercise to investigate what learning using GIS allows that other ways do not, this study also investigated whether using GIS as a teaching and learning strategy enables the promotion of learners spatial cognition, spatial perspective taking and problem solving abilities better than traditional methods do. The findings are viewed through the lens of developing Crystallized Intelligence (Gc), Spatial Intelligence (Gv) and Fluid Intelligence (Gf), respectively. The study followed a concurrent transformative mixed methods design with pre-post testing and the use of crossover experimental and control groups to generate both qualitative and quantitative data. Questionnaires aimed at all secondary Geography teachers in the Port Elizabeth Education District were used to assess how GIS is taught in their schools and to evaluate their perceptions of the benefits and barriers of implementing GIS software and geo-spatial data in the classroom. Four secondary school Geography teachers in four schools volunteered to take part in the experimental aspects of the study. Empirical data on the development of spatial cognition, spatial perspective taking, and problem solving were generated via pre- and post-tests in which the grade 11 Geography learners participated. Experimental and comparison groups of learners wrote four different types of pre- and post-tests where the experimental groups worked on GIS software with geo-spatial data while the comparison groups used traditional methods. Teacher interviews and learner interviews were also conducted to assess attitudes towards GIS software and geo-spatial data as a teaching strategy. The results from this aspect of the study mirrored the benefits and barriers to implementing GIS in schools recorded in international literature. However, and possibly more importantly, the empirical data generated by the learners revealed that GIS software and geo-spatial data do statistically significantly promote better spatial cognition (Crystallized Intelligence) and spatial perspective taking (Spatial Intelligence) than traditional methods do (i.e. using atlases, rulers and calculators). No improvement was found in the experimental groups‟ problem solving abilities. This report offers possible explanations and recommendations in terms of socio-cultural findings from other educational studies on the effects of exploratory talk on the development of Fluid Intelligence. Recommendations are made for the attention of curriculum developers, teachers, school principals, departmental officials and other educational stakeholders in terms of what is required for the successful implementation of GIS software and the use of geo-spatial data in secondary school Geography classes