Turkish geography trainee teachers' perceptions of geography

Abstract

This study examines Turkish geography trainee teachers' perceptions of geography as a discipline and perceptions of the aim of geographical education. This study pursues the ideas of Catling (2004) and uses his classification. The sample in the research consists of 136 geography trainees at six different universities in Turkey. The questionnaire with two open-ended questions was conducted with geography trainee teachers and coding was preferred according to Catling's categories. The most commonly held perceptions among the geography trainees were "interactionist" and "earthist" perceptions of geography as a discipline. However, the "environmentalist" view was the dominant among trainees concerning purposes of teaching geography. Other results are presented in detail in the study.