Assessment in Geography Education

by

Terri Bourke, Reece Mills

• LAST REVIEWED: 21 February 2023
• LAST MODIFIED: 21 February 2023
• DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199874002-0254

Introduction

An archaeologist is one who digs through layers of rock and soil to uncover and study what people did in the past from the things they left behind. For this encyclopedia entry, the authors assumed the role of archaeologists digging through databases and bibliographic references to uncover research about assessment in geography education, drawing from empirical studies where possible. They drew on Foucault’s book The Archaeology of Knowledge, using archaeological analysis as the chosen methodology to provide a close examination of themes in assessment in geography education from different authors, as well as showing how assessment foci have changed (or not) over time. Chronological succession is used for the most part, except for introducing important overviews or reports or where papers cluster within a subtheme. The chosen time frame is from the 1980s to the present. This period was chosen to go back beyond two big shifts in assessment in education. First, the 1990s saw the promotion of large-scale (inter)national high-stakes testing as a regime to provide comparative data between states/countries. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are examples of these. Second, the formation of the assessment-reform group of the British Educational Research Association, which promulgated assessment for learning as a concept and practice, was in the late 1980s. The themes presented in this archaeology of assessment literature in geography education are as follows: Theme One: Overviews/Reports and a Special Issue on Assessment in Geography Education, Theme Two: Large-Scale International Assessments, Theme Three: National Assessment and Data, Theme Four: Teacher/Formative Assessment, Theme Five: Assessing Knowledge and Skills through Mapping, Theme Six: Developing Valid and Reliable Instruments to Assess Spatial Thinking, Theme Seven: Assessment in Geography Textbooks, Theme Eight: Assessment Rubrics and Marking, and Theme Nine: Emerging Trends in Geography Education Assessment.

Theme One: Overviews/Reports and a Special Issue on Assessment in Geography Education

Theme One departs from the chronological succession of this entry to introduce five important pieces of work focused on assessment in geography education broadly. Edelson, et al. 2013 is an important US document that sets directions for the effective structuring and use of assessments in geography. Lane and Bourke 2019 and Bourke and Mills 2022 present systematic reviews of the literature on assessment in geography education. Solem 2021 is a special issue from the Journal of Geography (volume 120, issue 6) that marks the first set of research studies related to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) geography assessment at the eighth-grade level. Finally, Bourke, et al. 2022 is the first book with an international focus on assessment in geography education. The publications in this section all point out the significance of a good geography education as preparation for being an active member of society. The Road Map, Edelson, et al. 2013, goes so far as to assert that poor instruction in geography (which includes assessment) is a threat to the social, political, and economic well-being of a country.

• Bourke, T., and R. Mills. “Binaries and Silences in Geography Education Assessment Research.” In Assessment in Geographical Education: An International Perspective. Edited by T. Bourke, R. Mills, and R. Lane, 3–27. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2022.

  DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-95139-9_1

  This book chapter’s purpose is fourfold, providing (1) an outline of assessment theory, (2) a recap of the findings from the systematic review outlined earlier, (3) an updated systematic review from 2016–2021, and (4) a cross-analysis section pointing out binaries in geography-assessment literature and silences in the research. The authors recommended that researchers be proactive in setting agendas rather than responding to standardization and performativity measures.

• Bourke, T., R. Mills, and R. Lane. Assessment in Geographical Education: An International Perspective. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2022.

  DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-95139-9

  This book presents research on assessment in geography education globally. Contributions come from the Czech Republic, Australia, Singapore, Germany, South Korea, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The book has four sections covering (1) assessment related to cross-cutting concepts and skills in geography, (2) assessment related to the signature pedagogies of inquiry and fieldwork, (3) assessment as a social justice endeavor in geography education, and (4) future directions for assessment in geography education.

• Edelson, D. C., J. Shavelson, and J. A. Wertheim. Road Map for 21st Century Geography Education Project: Assessment; Recommendations and Guidelines for Assessment in Geography Education. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 2013.

  The Road Map for 21st Century Geography Education Project was funded by the National Science Foundation. The assessment committee, after reviewing the history of assessment in American geography education, developed guidelines for writing and conducting assessments to improve instruction and student outcomes and to inform decision making. A new assessment framework, called 21st Century Assessment Framework for the Geographical Sciences, was introduced, which focuses on content and cognition.

• Lane, R., and T. Bourke. “Assessment in Geography Education: A Systematic Review.” International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education 28.1 (2019): 22–36.

  DOI: 10.1080/10382046.2017.1385348

  This article presents a systematic review of empirical, peer-reviewed studies in English related to assessment in geography education. The authors found a paucity of research in this field, specifically in primary education, and recommended the need for large-scale, longitudinal studies with international researchers working collaboratively on agreed sets of research questions.

• Solem, M. “Geography, Student Outcomes, and Education Debts: What Do Geographers Owe Young People?” Journal of Geography 120.6 (2021): 195–200.

  DOI: 10.1080/00221341.2021.2002392

  The preface of the special issue in Journal of Geography outlines the history and origins of geography as part of the NAEP portfolio. This article outlines information about the year levels, content and cognitive domains, scoring, validity, reliability, and fairness checks undertaken. Background questionnaires concerning curriculum, instruction, teachers, and learning resources are discussed. These data are referred to as “opportunities to learn” (OLT). The author claims this is the gold standard of large-scale educational assessment design.