ERIC Number: EJ1477578
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1038-2046
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7611
Available Date: 0000-00-00
"Resilient Individuals; Resilient Societies": The Role of Geographical Education in Their Development
Jeana Kriewaldt1; Iain Hay2; Donna Rady3; Thea Schoeman4; Xin Ai5; Hongbo Sun5; Nancee Hunter6; Robert Bednarz7; Chantal Déry8; Anteneh Kallo9
International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, v34 n3 p274-293 2025
This paper examines how resilience is defined and understood in the context of geography education, and how geography curricula can contribute to developing resilience in individuals and societies. Although resilience has been studied widely in fields like ecology and psychology, its role in education needs further attention. This study distinguishes between narrow, individualistic conceptions of resilience focused on personal coping skills, versus broader definitions encompassing the capacity of communities and societies to anticipate, respond to, and transform in the face of disruptions. An analysis of secondary school geography curricula from Australia, Canada, China, Ethiopia, South Africa, and the United States reveals that while the term "resilience" itself is rarely mentioned explicitly, the curricula incorporate many related concepts such as risk, adaptation, sustainability, and human-environment systems. Specific topics that lend themselves to developing resilience understanding include natural hazards, climate change, resource management, and human migration. Coupling pedagogical approaches like problem-based learning, GIS mapping, and research projects also lend themselves to building resilience capacities. We argue that by developing spatial thinking abilities and understanding of interconnected environmental and societal systems, geography education holds unique potential to cultivate resilience. Now is the time to explicitly incorporate resilience in geography curricula to ensure this potential is realized. Enhancing resilience capacities through geography education is vital for empowering current and future generations to navigate an unpredictable world.
Descriptors: Resilience (Psychology), Geography Instruction, Role of Education, Definitions, Coping, Secondary Education, Curriculum, Foreign Countries, Sustainability, Risk, Environment, Natural Disasters, Climate, Natural Resources, Migration
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia; Canada; China; Ethiopia; South Africa; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 2College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia; 3Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 4Department of Geography, Environmental Management & Energy Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; 5School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; 6Geography Dept, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA; 7Emeritus Professor of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; 8Département des sciences de l'éducation, Université du Québec en Outaouais 5, St-Jérôme, Canada; 9Geography and Environmental Education, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia