How do Teachers Approach New Technologies: Geography Teachers' Attitudes towards Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

This study was aimed at understanding the extent to which GIS technology has been diffused throughout secondary school geography lessons in Turkey by focusing on geography teachers' attitudes towards GIS. A survey form was sent to geography teachers of around 200 private secondary schools in Turkey, 79 of which were responded to from 55 high schools located in 33 separate provinces. The study provided an understanding of teachers' knowledge, skills, and attitudes about GIS. As the study revealed, knowledge of GIS and its use in geography lessons by teachers was minimal. More than half of the teachers (66%) had no precise understanding of what GIS is and 82% of the teachers did not know how it could be used in geography lessons. The use of GIS among teachers in geography lessons was also found to be dramatic low. Around one seventh of the teachers (16%) said that they had used GIS software on a basic level before. Only seven of these teachers indicated that they had used GIS software in their geography lessons. Teachers' attitudes, however, were positive towards GIS. Most of the teachers (76%) thought that GIS is an effective teaching tool for geography lessons. Although some external barriers regarding lack of hardware, software, and data exist, the positive attitudes of teachers towards GIS is a significant factor which will contribute to integration of GIS into geography lessons in Turkey in the future. Keyword : GIS, geography education, secondary school, teachers' attitudes

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