English Development of a Geographic Skills Framework for Social Studies Student Teachers in the Context of Rajabhat Universities

Abstract

          This research aimed to (1) synthesize data on geographic skills with major courses in social studies at Rajabhat Universities and (2) develop a standard framework of geographic skills for social studies student teachers in the context of Rajabhat Universities. The population and key informants consisted of lecturers teaching geography-related courses to social studies students across 38 Rajabhat Universities. The sample group was purposively selected and comprised 12 geography lecturers, with two representatives from each of six regions: Northern, Central, Western, Eastern, Northeastern, and Southern Thailand. This research used the concept of Active Learning and the concept of Geo-Literacy as the main concepts, with a qualitative research process using research instruments, including interview forms and geographic skill analysis forms.

              The research results were as follows:

              1) The synthesis of geographic skills data with major subjects of the Social Studies programs at Rajabhat Universities revealed alignment with the geographic skills framework and the core learning standards of geography (Revised edition in 2017) under the Social Studies, Religion and Culture learning area.  The synthesized skills included interpretation of geographic data, using geographic techniques and geographic tools, spatial thinking, using technology, using statistics, observation, and holistic thinking.

          2) The development of a standard framework for geographic skills data for student in social studies program in the context of Rajabhat University was  achieved through lesson-learned analysis and the examination of sub-learning units in each subject, totaling 3 subjects. The resulting framework was consistent with the core learning standards of geography (Revised edition in 2017) in the Social Studies, Religion and Culture learning area, encompassing learning standards, student quality, indicators, core learning content, and geo-literacy.