Exploring ethnic minority representations of geographical knowledge Rebecca Kitchen Secondary Curriculum Leader, Geographical Association 5th year EdD, University of Cambridge

Practitioner-researcher, first phase: questionnaires Purpose: to select eight students for second phase and to determine the range of perspectives which existed and whether ethnicity was a factor. Perspective General description Placeists   Geographical knowledge focusing on the locations and characteristics of places Generalists Simple statements which refer to geographical knowledge being about ‘Geography’. Key words included suggest a basic understanding of geography which covered a variety of physical and human topics Interactionists Geographical knowledge that emphasises the link between physical and human processes. Thematicists Geographical knowledge focusing on the description and explanation of patterns and processes relating to how the world works and which highlight thematic understanding of both human and physical geography Synthesisers Geographical knowledge which stresses geography’s role in synthesising from different disciplines

Practitioner-researcher, second phase: collage, critical incident chart, semi-structured interview Purpose: to provide a rich and detailed description of how eight students of different ethnicities represent geographical knowledge using different methods and how they account for the GCSE and A level choices that they made.

students as researchers: questionnaires Purpose: to provide a different (young person’s) perspective. Why Year 10 students chose not to study geography at GCSE

How do students of different ethnicities represent geographical knowledge? Students appeared to have different and a more diverse range of representations than those described in previous literature (Kitchen (2011; 2013a; 2013b). Geographical knowledge was represented in different ways given different methods, although the collages and interviews tended to reflect the students’ most recent formal experiences of geography. Students believed that geographical knowledge was important in order to be an educated, 21st century global citizen.

Qabilah’s representation of geographical knowledge: interview Qabilah’s representation of geographical knowledge: collage

How do the students’ stories relate to their representations? The way in which the students tell their stories reflects the complexity of their lives. Students’ representations of geographical knowledge were dominated by concepts from their recent formal experiences and mirrored the structure and characteristics of these. Informal experiences did feature but these were not always explicit or straightforwardly definable; it is perhaps for this reason that formal experiences dominate.

How do the students account for the GCSE and A level subject choices that they made? If students do not relate to the geographical knowledge studied formally and see its intrinsic usefulness then they are unlikely to study it past GCSE level. This is a finding supported by the SaRs and attributed to decisions at A level being more focused upon potential future careers than other factors such as enjoyment which dominate at GCSE. Expectations that these high ability girls would study traditionally masculine subjects such as science and maths was also a factor in their decision making.

‘I think I’ll always have an interest in current events but I don’t really think I’m going to learn more about coastal erosion or glaciers or stuff like that…I know enough about groynes…Whereas current events will always be interesting for me and that’s like the human geography and that’s because I think that you can talk about it with less knowledge. If you were going to have a discussion about physical geography you have to know your facts and you have to know your stuff and you have to know why it works. Whereas anyone can give an opinion on something to do with people, like the movement of people, because that is more common sense. That’s what you get from experiences in life, not necessarily what you learn.’ Marie

Implications for teachers The findings shed light upon how students represent geography and the post-14 choices they make. Those factors within a teachers’ control could be addressed in order to be more inclusive. For example, it is clear that if students cannot see the intrinsic usefulness of geographical knowledge that they are unlikely to study the subject at A level. It is easy to focus on the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of teaching - the content and the way in which it is delivered – at the expense of the ‘who’ – the students and the knowledge and experience they bring. A word of caution! Students have individual and complex ways of representing geography and equally individual and complex ways of making their post-14 subject choices. Using these findings to create a curriculum is not a panacea for ensuring that option numbers, particularly those in under-represented groups, increase. Nor should an increase necessarily be seen as success if the choices that are made serve to narrow students’ views of geographical knowledge.