Geographic Illiteracy: A Continuing American Dilemma - Term Paper Example

Geographic Illiteracy: A Continuing American Dilemma Introduction Geographic illiteracy is the lack of ability to understand and decide wisely at every level of human settlement design. Geographic illiteracy is a public and private problem that restricts the capacity of groups and individuals to operate in the physical, social, and economic domains of existing human activity (Bruckner 2006). According to a 1988 survey of Gallup Organization of adults’ geographic awareness in nine countries, the United States scored poorly in the 18-to-24 year old bracket. The study reported that one in four adults in the United States failed to spot the Pacific Ocean in the world map and one in seven adults failed to spot their own country. This geographic illiteracy became commonly known (Schoenfeldt 2001). As lamented by Stoltman (1992 as cited in Schoenfeldt 2001, 26), “Over 20 million Americans cannot locate the United States on a map! Geographic illiteracy is a fact of life. Our national ignorance of geography is a dangerous consequence of long-standing neglect and isolationism.” When accounts of geographic illiteracy of Americans continued generating controversies and concerns, many began to feel troubled about the country’s capability to compete in an international economy. Educators, policymakers, and parents agreed that it was urgent to act in response to this issue. They argued that geography has to be restored to the U.S. educational institution. This paper tries to prove that Americans suffer from geographic illiteracy. This paper includes a discussion of the contributing factors to and consequences of geographic illiteracy. Americans Suffer from Geographic Illiteracy What’s the world coming to? A lot of Americans don’t know where Mexico is. They think Delaware is a city. Asked to name a tribe that has invaded England, they answer, “The Aztecs.” The American people are dumber now that they have been in a very long time,” said Allen, who has written a book called Dumpthon the subject. Los Angeles Times (1990 as cited in Douglass 1999, 1) Horace Mann, a well-known American education advocate, reacted to what he deemed to be terrible geographic ignorance. For instance, only 91 students out of almost 500 correctly answered the question “On which range of mountains is the line of perpetual snow most elevated above the ocean—on the Rocky Mountains of North America, or on the Cordilleras of Mexico?” (Douglass 1999, 2). In another exam entry, the so-called ‘scholars’ at the time were instructed to sketch Italy’s map. According to Mann, although “many attempted [to draw] it,… of the whole number [500], only seventeen made a drawing which could have been recognized as a representation of Italy by one who did not know what the scholar was trying to do” (Douglass 1999, 2). Moving onward, over a period of nearly two centuries to the recent past, when reports akin to those of Mann continued to be expressed. It would be impossible to discuss all those reports or findings here because they have been voluminous. However, it is important to mention that, similar to all things concerning the process and system of education, these reports of American geographic illiteracy surfaced in cycles or streams. Usually, according to Fairbanks (1927), their reemergence has been linked to national pride and global occurrences and, possibly, concern over and interest in the evident unawareness of the American people of events and places outside and within the national boundaries. The 1988 report of the National Geographic Society states that large numbers of Americans are “serious lacking in basic geographic knowledge and skills [and that] this is particularly true of the youngest age group tested, those between the ages of 18 and 24” (National Middle School Association 1989, 7). In addition, according to the report 56 percent of adults in the United States were ignorant of the U.S. population or demography. In spite of the widely known value of map-reading abilities, roughly three in ten adults failed to utilize one to measure the estimated distance between two points or determine direction (Douglass 1999, 3). On average, an American adult can name from sketched maps (Douglass 1999, 3): Only about 4 of 12 European countries Less than 3 of 8 South American countries Less than 6 of 10 U.S. states Less than 9 of 16 key places on a map of the world Merely 57 percent can spot England on a European map. Brazil, or 61 percent, is the only country of South America accurately recognized by half of the respondents. One in seven cannot recognize the United States from a world map. One in four cannot recognize the Pacific Ocean or the Soviet Union. It is important to emphasize that this survey’s researchers think that geographic ignorance is getting worse (Douglass 1999, 3-4). To strengthen their conclusion, they introduced the claim-- even though it is still mostly unconfirmed— that four decades ago, high school pupils, for instance, can recognize six of twelve countries of Europe, in comparison to four of twelve for adults (Douglass 1999, 4). The Gallup study also evaluated American adults against those in Mexico, Canada, Italy, West Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Japan. American adults performed badly, being equaled in their illiteracy only by adults from Mexico and Italy (Bruckner 2006). Even though we should deduce from the information or figures presented here the types of questions that underlie the outcomes of the study subsidized by the National Geographic Society the idea that the later exam showed, to a larger extent than its much earlier counterpart, fairly precise location awareness, and particularly that form of information that is essentially political (Douglass 1999). On the contrary, the earlier exam was inclined to focus on the patterns and connections of physical occurrences, particularly within the United States. The important issue to be resolved, obviously, is whether either of these focuses embodies the form of knowledge that should be the emphasis of a set of courses in geographic education. Even though related studies over the years have specified what seems to be a depressing absence of geographic literacy, regardless how it is described, the National Geographic Society is the earliest to show differential ranking between age brackets and to argue that the situation is worsening even more than the pessimists have proclaimed (Schoenfeldt 2001). If this decline is true, then there is basis for much more concern over and interest in the condition of geographic illiteracy, which strengthens the need to understand and try to remedy a path none find tolerable. Contributing Factors to American Geographic Illiteracy America has a clear dilemma, and this is caused by three factors. First is the failure of geographers to agree on the scope and nature of their field. Geography is usually viewed as similar to geology specifically, but also similar to biology, cartography, history, and other disciplines in the social and natural sciences. Because of the features of geography this is expected; similar to history, it does not structure its topics on account of a particular topic but instead as an outcome of its methodology (Bruckner 2006). Nevertheless, it is still factual that, because of a comparatively fragile foundation in terms of the number of advocates and the debate over its description of the discipline, alongside a reduction in the number of organizations educating and training professional geographers (Bruckner 2006), the geography of America has been placed at a specific weakness over the recent decades. Second, present-day critics blame the texts and teachers that “dish up a great number of facts of every sort which it was thought children ought to know, but for which there did not seem any other place. School geography is now undergoing a merciless examination and criticism on the part of the curriculum reformers and it must give a justification for its retention or it stands in danger of… disappearing” (Fairbanks 1927, 14). Methodological disagreements, according to Schoenfeldt (2001), at the same time, broadened as the geographic traditionalists bashed into the education reformers, and their yearly conferences usually expressed their identity crisis. Third, social reform, specifically when it touches utopianism, is the opponent of geographic literacy, and the 1930s’ isolationism definitely did not positively contribute. One may assume that geography was on the verge of reaching an even better position than prior the First World War. And still, it was in that period, from 1945 to 1970, that each and every opponent of geography united and succeeded (Douglass 1999). Geography was recognized as tedious and useless unless incorporated into sociology, economics, politics, and history—disciplines which themselves were being integrated into social studies. Without a doubt, the best professors, government organizations, and foundations they financially supported, were resolutely globalist (Bruckner 2006). Yet the integral concerns they were preoccupied with, such as development programs for developing countries and weapons of mass destruction, appeared to make geography unimportant. Consequences of American Geographic Illiteracy The three major apparent consequences of American geographic illiteracy are (1) Americans are not able to determine where things are, (2) Americans are not able to commit to memory where things are to assist them in solving problems and making decisions, and (3) Americans do not have adequate knowledge of the actual nature and effect of globalization. Determining where things are has created the necessity for precise forms of feature depiction and place and locational determination as shown in the developments in cartography. Committing to memory where things are is a component of daily existence and daily process of making decisions (Douglass 1999). Poor abilities to remember compel Americans either to commit errors or to check with depictions of the location of things before they can successfully employ geographic knowledge. According to Schoenfeldt (2001), geographic illiteracy results in the failure to develop ability for identifying trends of identical occurrences in various environments. In several instances, geographic illiteracy results in inability to accomplish problem-solving activities in both real and imagined space, to comprehend spatial connections among geographically isolated trend, and to envision unifying representation mediums for conveying spatial knowledge about trends in auditory, cartographic, and visual dimensions (National Middle School Association 1989). Geographic literacy is valuable not just for successfully taking part in daily life, like helping to commit to memory the location of schools, shopping malls, banks, etc. Geographic literacy is valuable in all political decisions, from the establishment of national borders to the distribution of resources to the maintenance of communications and transportation systems. Lastly, global illiteracy leads to a poor understanding of the effects of globalization on the American society. All over the world, the ‘unaware American’ habitually is mocked, and the extent of disdain for American policy and, occasionally, American culture has grew remarkably ever since the 1980s (Douglass 1999). Above all, particularly after the blatant terrorist attacks, Americans cannot afford anymore to disregard the other cultures, people, and the rest of the world. In the 21st century, the world is confronting a period where economic and political connections are evolving drastically, where human modification of the environment is speeding up and where human interaction behaviors, such as communication and transport and migration, are continuously changing (Bruckner 2006). Geographic knowledge is important because having an excellent range of global knowledge is essential the growth of society, culture, and democracy is entirely reliant on the people’s literacy or awareness. Conclusions In the early years of the United States, its educational system acknowledged the essence of geography, and currently its relevance has been reintroduced. Geography is one of the ways to improve understanding of our increasingly ‘flattening’ or ‘shrinking’ world. Studies have revealed that children can make use of plain maps, understand spatial theories, and interpret image depiction. As proclaimed by Bednarz (1998 as cited in Schoenfeldt 2001, 27), “The power and beauty of geography lie in seeing, understanding, and appreciating the web of relationships among people, places, and environments.” The current world is now highly integrated. Remaining uninvolved is not a practical or feasible alternative anymore. Geographic literacy is not tedious or meaningless as some critics describe it; geographic knowledge becomes an imperative today. It is the duty of the state, educators, parents, and communities help raise awareness of geography. References Bruckner, Martin. The Geographic Revolution in Early America: Maps, Literacy, and National Identity. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006. Douglass, Malcolm. The History, Psychology and Pedagogy of Geographic Literacy. Westport: Praeger, 1999. Fairbanks, Harold. Real Geography and its Place in the Schools. San Francisco: Harr Wagner, 1927. National Middle School Association. Middle School Journal, Volume 21. The University of Michigan: National Middle School Association, 1989. Schoenfeldt, Melinda. “Geographic Literacy and Young Learners” The Educational Forum 66.1 (2001): 26+ Read More