Marsh et al.'s tests of appropriate spatial relationship concepts were administered to groups of college students to determine whether learning GIS enhances students' overall ability to generate and recognize fundamental spatial relationship concepts. 119 undergraduate students enrolled in various GIS courses and in non-GIS courses participated in…

Although previous studies have proven the usefulness and effectiveness of geographic information system (GIS) use in the K-12 classroom, the rate of teacher adoption remains low. The identified major barrier to its use is a lack of teachers' background and experience. To solve this limitation, many organisations have provided GIS-related teacher…

This article shares the first-time geographic information system (GIS) experiences of two advanced placement human geography classes. The teacher had participated in a summer GIS workshop and then brought those skills into her classroom for the students' benefit. Eighteen students shared their experiences researching their family history, working…

This article introduces an approach to designing effective geographic information system (GIS) professional development (PD) based on six features: (1) collective participation, (2) practice time, (3) time for lesson development and presentation, (4) state and national standards, (5) district support and direct involvement, and (6) professional…

This study identifies the skill requirements for geographic information system (GIS) positions, including GIS analysts, programmers/developers/engineers, specialists, and technicians, through a content analysis of 946 GIS job advertisements from 2007-2014. The results indicated that GIS job applicants need to possess high levels of GIS analysis…

Advocates for geographic information system (GIS) education contend that learning about GIS promotes students' spatial thinking. Empirical studies are still needed to elucidate the potential of GIS as an instructional tool to support spatial thinking in other geography courses. Using a non-equivalent control group research design, this study…

This article introduces the geographic information systems (GIS) in-service teacher training, focusing on the intersection of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) for successful implementation of GIS in the classroom. Eleven social studies teachers in Georgia learned GIS technologies, inquiry-based learning, and social studies…

This article reports the results of a case study that employed user-centered design to develop training tutorials for helping middle school social studies teachers use Web-based GIS in their classrooms. This study placed teachers in the center of the design process in planning, designing, and developing the tutorials. This article describes how…

One factor underlying the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) in schools is the interest and willingness of teachers to learn and adopt these technologies in their teaching. Previous studies of geographic information systems (GIS), as one type of ICT, indicate that the lack of teacher training is one of the key barriers to…