Researchers from the University of Salamanca and the University of the Balearic Islands have conducted a study of secondary school students' knowledge of Spanish geography involving 275 students from eight schools in the Balearics.
From the third year of ESO, the students were presented with a questionnaire on geographical content and a location test on a blank map. In summary, the researchers found moderately low average success percentages in the content questionnaire and very low average percentages in the location test. The questions related to different parts of the country, e.g. Bilbao and Malaga as well as Formentera.
The article detailing this research doesn't state where the eight schools were in the Balearics, but the results in respect of Formentera were, as the researchers conclude, consistent with the "low relevance of the study of geography in compulsory education".
The students knew that Formentera was an island in the Balearics, but only 18% were able to correctly locate it. When asked 'Which inhabited island in the Balearic Islands can only be accessed by boat?', only 21.1% supplied the correct answer, i.e. Formentera.
For the study as a whole, there were 37.9% correct answers for geographical content and 26.2% for location. "The very low percentages of success invite us to reflect on the way in which geography is taught in compulsory education. In third year of ESO, it is usually the last time that students work on geographic content in depth in their academic life."
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Les ChaseYes Les, I blame the adults. I have heard that cows actually congregate in herds .As for going into the countryside, inner city children don't do that. It is where English people live.
Sadly, a few years ago I herd that some english school children did not know where milk came from, from inner cities. They thought it came from a plastic bottle and not from a cow. This was until the children finally went out in to the countryside and actually saw cows grazing in fields. Also possibly ask English school children where Cornwall or Land's End is, or even the Isle of Wight is and one may get similar results in England.
AmbergrilloThere? Seems like you had a “crappy” teacher!
The Balearics are well known for there crappy teachers.
As has been said a lot of the teacher´s don't know where the School is !
Quite worrying particularly if they are from Formentera. Then again there’s British kids that don’t know what their legs are for , or what a trash can is. Youuffs eh.
Might help if the teachers stopped skipping off work on a regular basis .