Student Geography Teachers' Pre-conceptions about Teaching Environmental Topics

This article describes selected aspects of a study into geography student teachers' thinking and practice in teaching environmental topics and influences on their thinking and practice. The focus is on particular aspects of the methodology and findings related to the student teacher's thinking about teaching their chosen environmental topic at the start of their course. Reporting on methodology, the article focuses on measures for trustworthiness and credibility, an integral part of this qualitative study, and the ethical principles which were created and practised to take account of the researcher's dual role as researcher and tutor. Related to findings, the focus is on examples of the student teachers' pre-conceptions about subject matter and subject-specific pedagogy in teaching their chosen environmental topic, together with prior experiences which appear to have influenced their thinking. A short conclusion suggests implications for practice in geography teacher education.