Does Size Make a Difference?

Variations in the Preparation and Literacy of High School Earth Sciences Teachers

Abstract

This study expands geographical education into the area of teacher preparation and literacy in high school earth science instruction. Considerable research has focused on the impact of school size on instruction and learning; however, little work has been done in comparing school size with the degree to which high school science teachers are prepared to teach specific subjects like earth science. Indices of teacher preparation and literacy were examined across school size categories and geographic regions in North Carolina. Preliminary findings in this research indicate that a relatively large percentage of earth science teachers in small schools have never taken a course in this subject area. Survey results also show that teachers from smaller schools are not as knowledgeable about basic concepts in earth science as teachers from larger schools. It was found that the teachers surveyed were especially deficient in their knowledge of geographic concepts.