Future paths for GIS in K-12 education: A review of possibilities and constraints

Abstract

Geographic information systems (GIS) have been highlighted as essential future knowledge and are increas-ingly integrated in people’s everyday lives through applications, tracking, and global positioning systems (GPS). Still, ap-plications and research of GIS technology for teaching and learning in kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) education are limited. Through a scoping review of contemporary literature, this study identifies and discuss possibilities and con-straints for GIS in K-12 education. Data were collected and analyzed with directed content analysis, using affordances as a theoretical lens, to identify possibilities and constraints of GIS for K-12 education. The study highlight themes of pos-sibilities and constraints for further investigation. The possibilities of GIS for K-12 education include accessibility, trans-disciplinary, and beyond classroom; and the constraints include skills and attitude, higher education and support, and teachers’ knowledge. The theoretical contribution of the study is a conceptual model for how possibilities and con-straints of GIS for K-12 education relates to reaching educational goals. Findings of the study have practical implications for teachers and other stakeholders on the use of GIS in K-12 classrooms. The study also provides several suggestions for future research on GIS in K-12 education.