Evaluating the Implementation and Effectiveness of GIS-Based Application in Secondary School Geography Lessons

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the barriers preventing the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in secondary school geography lessons and to determine its effectiveness on students’ success. A workshop focusing on ways to implement GIS-based application in the classroom for 14 teachers from nine high schools was conducted in 2006. The teachers were given GIS software, digital data for an application, and the necessary written documents describing the application. Due to various obstacles, only two teachers at two schools out of 14 implemented the application successfully. The study revealed that the use of GIS increased the students’ success on geography lessons by 38% at the first school and by 51% at the second one. The success rate of the students in this study substantiates the need for GIS to be better incorporated into the Geography curriculum in the secondary school level in developing countries.