How Does the Geography Curriculum Contribute to Education for Sustainable Development? Lessons from China and the USA

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) must play an important part in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and, while it may be advanced through harnessing the unique advantages of the geography curriculum, connections between the geography curriculum and sustainable development competencies have not yet been systematically investigated in China and America. In order to explore the value of geography education in promoting learner competencies in sustainable development, we conducted a detailed analysis of China’s geography curriculum standards and American geography curriculum standards, and explored the potential contribution of the geography curriculum to ESD. Learning objectives in China’s geography curriculum standards for middle school (98 items) and high school (141 items), and American geography curriculum standards for middle school (80 items) and high school (85 items) were analyzed using content analysis supported by WordStat 8.0. Our findings suggest that geography education plays an important role in cultivating learners’ cognition and ability regarding sustainable development, although there remains much room for improvement in cultivating learner attitudes and values towards ESD

Effects of caneburning herbicides on red raspberry in the Pacific Northwest

Primocane management in red raspberry using herbicides to increase berry production has been practiced for more than forty years in the Pacific Northwest. Given the changes in cultivars, herbicides, and machine harvesters since its development during the 1970s, a study was initiated in 2010 to determine whether caneburning of current Pacific Northwest raspberry cultivars still is a useful practice. The first trial was conducted on commercial fields using red raspberry cultivars 'Meeker', 'Coho' and 'Cascade Bounty', while the second trial was conducted on a research field at the Washington State University Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center near Mount Vernon, WA using 'Meeker' and 'Cascade Bounty'. Caneburning with oxyfluorfen and carfentrazone was evaluated in both trials, while terbacil with and without caneburning was evaluated in the first trial. All caneburning treatments successfully eliminated the first flush of primocanes and suppressed primocane regrowth of all cultivars in the early season. Oxyfluorfen suppressed 'Meeker' primocane regrowth about 14 days longer than did carfentrzone in both trials. Oxyfluorfen also suppressed 'Cascade Bounty' primocane regrowth 14 days longer than did carfentrzone in the first year in both trials and 46 days longer in the second year in the second trial. Most caneburned raspberry growth rates were similar to non-caneburned raspberry by about 80 days after treatment in both trials, except 'Cascade Bounty' growth rate was suppressed by caneburning until about 119 days after treatment on the second trial. Two-year average yield of 'Meeker' was increased 27 to 31% by caneburning in the first trial and 33 to 40% in the second year of the second trial. 'Coho' yield was not increased by caneburning and 'Cascade Bounty' yield was not increased by caneburning in either trial. Caneburning reduced time spent on dormant-season training of 'Meeker' by about 45 hr/ha/person. Weed control provided by caneburning herbicide alone ranged from 73 to 88% until early Jun. when weed pressure was high, while weed control exceeded 96% in late Aug. when weed pressure was low. Terbacil with or without caneburning herbicides provided over 89% weed control in late Aug. regardless of weed pressure

A comparison of content standards documents for geographical tuition in China and the United States

The United States and China have national geography standards that identify the knowledge, concepts, principles, and skills that students should know and be able to use. This paper compares the geography standards of these two countries, specifically the standards for the middle school using content analysis and concept mapping as the methodological technique. The findings suggest that although there are a number of similarities between both country’s documents, there are also significant differences which are worth pointing out

A comparison of content standards documents for geographical tuition in China and the United States

The United States and China have national geography standards that identify the knowledge, concepts, principles, and skills that students should know and be able to use. This paper compares the geography standards of these two countries, specifically the standards for the middle school using content analysis and concept mapping as the methodological technique. The findings suggest that although there are a number of similarities between both country’s documents, there are also significant differences which are worth pointing out

How Does the Geography Curriculum Contribute to Education for Sustainable Development? Lessons from China and the USA

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) must play an important part in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and, while it may be advanced through harnessing the unique advantages of the geography curriculum, connections between the geography curriculum and sustainable development competencies have not yet been systematically investigated in China and America. In order to explore the value of geography education in promoting learner competencies in sustainable development, we conducted a detailed analysis of China’s geography curriculum standards and American geography curriculum standards, and explored the potential contribution of the geography curriculum to ESD. Learning objectives in China’s geography curriculum standards for middle school (98 items) and high school (141 items), and American geography curriculum standards for middle school (80 items) and high school (85 items) were analyzed using content analysis supported by WordStat 8.0. Our findings suggest that geography education plays an important role in cultivating learners’ cognition and ability regarding sustainable development, although there remains much room for improvement in cultivating learner attitudes and values towards ESD

How Does the Geography Curriculum Contribute to Education for Sustainable Development? Lessons from China and the USA

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) must play an important part in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and, while it may be advanced through harnessing the unique advantages of the geography curriculum, connections between the geography curriculum and sustainable development competencies have not yet been systematically investigated in China and America. In order to explore the value of geography education in promoting learner competencies in sustainable development, we conducted a detailed analysis of China’s geography curriculum standards and American geography curriculum standards, and explored the potential contribution of the geography curriculum to ESD. Learning objectives in China’s geography curriculum standards for middle school (98 items) and high school (141 items), and American geography curriculum standards for middle school (80 items) and high school (85 items) were analyzed using content analysis supported by WordStat 8.0. Our findings suggest that geography education plays an important role in cultivating learners’ cognition and ability regarding sustainable development, although there remains much room for improvement in cultivating learner attitudes and values towards ESD

Geography Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives on Multimedia Technology and Environmental Education

Multimedia technology (MT) is now widely used in primary and secondary classrooms and has excellent potential for environmental education. The discipline of Geography has strong synergies with environmental education. The paper uses the Q methodology to investigate the responses of pre-service geography teachers regarding the use of multimedia in environmental education (EE). The viewpoints of respondents were clustered into three broad perspectives relating to the use of multimedia: Perspective 1: the use of multimedia is regarded as valuable but difficult to apply; perspective 2: the use of multimedia is rewarding and practicable; perspective 3: the use of all types of multimedia is seen as highly valuable, although in the case of GIS the attitude is more equivocal. All three perspectives align with the idea that MT can improve EE, although the respondents suggest it cannot be a direct replacement for fieldwork. While all three perspectives are consistent with the view that multimedia teaching has many functional advantages in relation to environmental education, concerns are expressed regarding teachers’ capacity to fulfill its potential. The authors suggest that understanding these perspectives can help improve pre-service teacher education and advance environment education in middle school

Analysis of Sustainable Development Questions of College Entrance Examination Geography Papers in China: 2010–2020

International consensus has been reached for the 2030 Agenda, and governments have adopted measures for the gradual implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this implementation, education plays a crucial role. Recently, the extent to which Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become the norm in national curricula, teacher education, and student assessment has been a focus of extensive research. The present study introduces the geography curriculum and the reform of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) in China in the 2000s. A global indicator framework for SDGs is used to analyze sustainable development (SD) content and characteristics in NCEE geography papers. Findings reveal that SD accounts for an average of 71% of score points among the 24 sets of papers. Sustainable agriculture, terrestrial ecosystems, settlements, and water are well reflected in questions, especially water-related ecosystems, resilient agricultural practices, transportation system, tourism, desertification, and degraded land and soil. Sustainable development questions have the characteristics of setting open questions, paying attention to question situation, being close to real life, being moderately difficult, paying attention to regional SD and human-nature relationship, and diversifying question-setting patterns. According to the analysis of papers, SD plays an important role in geography education

Analysis of Sustainable Development Questions of College Entrance Examination Geography Papers in China: 2010–2020

International consensus has been reached for the 2030 Agenda, and governments have adopted measures for the gradual implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this implementation, education plays a crucial role. Recently, the extent to which Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become the norm in national curricula, teacher education, and student assessment has been a focus of extensive research. The present study introduces the geography curriculum and the reform of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) in China in the 2000s. A global indicator framework for SDGs is used to analyze sustainable development (SD) content and characteristics in NCEE geography papers. Findings reveal that SD accounts for an average of 71% of score points among the 24 sets of papers. Sustainable agriculture, terrestrial ecosystems, settlements, and water are well reflected in questions, especially water-related ecosystems, resilient agricultural practices, transportation system, tourism, desertification, and degraded land and soil. Sustainable development questions have the characteristics of setting open questions, paying attention to question situation, being close to real life, being moderately difficult, paying attention to regional SD and human-nature relationship, and diversifying question-setting patterns. According to the analysis of papers, SD plays an important role in geography education