“[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography Lessons
Students’ everyday perceptions of culture and space have a significant impact on their social coexistence and should, therefore, be considered in geography lessons. The <i>other</i> or <i>foreign</i> is often negatively assessed. This perception is based on an essentialist un...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/12/2/9 |
| _version_ | 1797480966920339456 |
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| author | Ronja Ege Alexandra Budke |
| author_facet | Ronja Ege Alexandra Budke |
| author_sort | Ronja Ege |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Students’ everyday perceptions of culture and space have a significant impact on their social coexistence and should, therefore, be considered in geography lessons. The <i>other</i> or <i>foreign</i> is often negatively assessed. This perception is based on an essentialist understanding of cultural space but is inappropriate for a culturally diverse world. The concept of transculturality by Wolfgang Welsch offers a constructivist perspective on culture and space, which takes cultural globalization into account and avoids a stereotyped division of cultures. To prevent xenophobia, it is important to understand the everyday ideas about culture and space younger generations possess and the extent to which transculturality is integrated. The learning requirements of students provide a basis on which geography lessons can be developed that incorporate these concepts to counteract xenophobia. To determine everyday perceptions, 197 German 9th-grade students were asked. The selection of the sample was based on a declaration of consent from the parents and was not fully probabilistic. In addition to a preliminary study, 98 female and 99 male students were surveyed in a written questionnaire. The data analysis was realized in a mixed-method design, with qualitative content analysis and supplementary quantifications. The results of which suggested that culture and space are predominantly understood as nationally specific. Consequently, a transcultural understanding should be incorporated long-term into geography lessons. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:07:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b55285e115e0469eb1f773dfdb9080fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2174-8144 2254-9625 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:07:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-b55285e115e0469eb1f773dfdb9080fe2023-11-23T19:38:08ZengMDPI AGEuropean Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education2174-81442254-96252022-01-011229811310.3390/ejihpe12020009“[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography LessonsRonja Ege0Alexandra Budke1Department VI—Spatial and Environmental Sciences, University of Trier, Cultural and Regional Geography, 54286 Trier, GermanyInstitute for Geography Education, University of Cologne, Gronewaldstraße 2, 50931 Cologne, GermanyStudents’ everyday perceptions of culture and space have a significant impact on their social coexistence and should, therefore, be considered in geography lessons. The <i>other</i> or <i>foreign</i> is often negatively assessed. This perception is based on an essentialist understanding of cultural space but is inappropriate for a culturally diverse world. The concept of transculturality by Wolfgang Welsch offers a constructivist perspective on culture and space, which takes cultural globalization into account and avoids a stereotyped division of cultures. To prevent xenophobia, it is important to understand the everyday ideas about culture and space younger generations possess and the extent to which transculturality is integrated. The learning requirements of students provide a basis on which geography lessons can be developed that incorporate these concepts to counteract xenophobia. To determine everyday perceptions, 197 German 9th-grade students were asked. The selection of the sample was based on a declaration of consent from the parents and was not fully probabilistic. In addition to a preliminary study, 98 female and 99 male students were surveyed in a written questionnaire. The data analysis was realized in a mixed-method design, with qualitative content analysis and supplementary quantifications. The results of which suggested that culture and space are predominantly understood as nationally specific. Consequently, a transcultural understanding should be incorporated long-term into geography lessons.https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/12/2/9cultural-geographic education researchculture and spacestudents’ ideastransculturalalityimagination researchprevention of racism |
| spellingShingle | Ronja Ege Alexandra Budke “[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography Lessons European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education cultural-geographic education research culture and space students’ ideas transculturalality imagination research prevention of racism |
| title | “[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography Lessons |
| title_full | “[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography Lessons |
| title_fullStr | “[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography Lessons |
| title_full_unstemmed | “[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography Lessons |
| title_short | “[Culture] Makes Each Country Unique, It’s Kind of like a Trademark.” Empirical Results on Students’ Perceptions of Culture and Space as Learning Prerequisite for Geography Lessons |
| title_sort | culture makes each country unique it s kind of like a trademark empirical results on students perceptions of culture and space as learning prerequisite for geography lessons |
| topic | cultural-geographic education research culture and space students’ ideas transculturalality imagination research prevention of racism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/12/2/9 |
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