| The teacher education process in the United States is inextricably linked to the kind of geography instruction presented to students in the kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) classroom. Because of apparent systemic geographic illiteracy, there is a need to investigate each part of the system. This thesis describes recent developments that suggest a need for research in teacher education in geography, provides background information on the status of K-12 geography education, and reports on a survey of current teachers in Santa Clara County, California. Additionally, this thesis presents an overview of the teacher education program at San Jose State University, and its geography component, makes recommendations for improving the quality of geography instruction provided to current and future teachers, and suggests further research needed for the continued improvement of teacher education in geography. |
