Conceptions of geography teaching: Dataset enabling typology transfer and teaching quality reflection in other fields

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Geography Education

Background:

• Teacher conceptions significantly influence pedagogical approaches and student learning outcomes.
• Understanding diverse geography teaching beliefs is crucial for effective curriculum development and teacher training.
• Existing typologies offer frameworks, but empirical data on in-service teachers' conceptions are often limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To operationalize and measure nine distinct conceptions of geography teaching among in-service lower secondary teachers in Czechia.
• To provide a psychometrically validated dataset for further research on teacher beliefs and instructional practices.
• To facilitate the adaptation of the conceptions framework for other subjects and educational contexts.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 45-item questionnaire based on Catling's typology and authentic teacher statements.
• Data collection from 530 in-service lower secondary teachers in Czechia using a five-point Likert scale.
• Provision of raw data in .xlsx format suitable for statistical analysis, including factor validation.

Main Results:

• The dataset captures nuanced conceptions of geography teaching, categorized into nine distinct types.
• Psychometric properties of the questionnaire are established, ensuring reliability and validity.
• The data enable detailed analysis of the relationship between teachers' professional beliefs and their instructional practices.

Conclusions:

• The dataset provides a robust foundation for studying geography teacher conceptions and their impact on pedagogy.
• The framework and item pool are adaptable for research in other disciplines, such as mathematics, history, and science education.
• The findings support the development of tools, like the geo4tea.com diagnostic tool, for visualizing and understanding teaching conceptions.