RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON THE TOPIC “OPENSTREETMAP EDUCATION-TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS”.
ABSTRACT
OpenStreetMap is a collaborative mapping project that allows individuals to contribute and access free geospatial data. The platform has grown and gained significant popularity and become an integral source of data for various applications including navigation, urban planning, and disaster management. Notwithstanding, its potential in the field of education remains largely untapped. This research aims to investigate the use of OpenStreetMap in education, with a specific focus on the role of teachers in schools. The role of teachers is vital in shaping students’ learning experiences and is well positioned to integrate innovative technologies and resources into the curriculum. By incorporating OpenStreetMap into their teaching practices, teachers can enhance students’ geospatial literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. OpenStreetMap can promote active learning collaboration and community engagement among students. Numerous research has examined the use of OpenStreetMap in education and highlighted both its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, Goodchild (2007) highlighted the idea of "volunteered geography," highlighting the significant contribution that individuals may make to the geospatial knowledge available on websites like OpenStreetMap. Haklay (2010) carried out a comparison between OpenStreetMap and conventional datasets, emphasizing the correctness and dependability of contributed geographic data. Additionally, Hochmair and Zielstra (2012) evaluated the OpenStreetMap bike paths' completeness, highlighting the potential for crowdsourced data to supplement and improve current datasets. These studies demonstrate OpenStreetMap's important educational potential, especially when teachers use it to promote student learning. Despite the potential advantages, there are several difficulties in incorporating OpenStreetMap into the curriculum. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been implemented and are beneficial in secondary education, according to Kerski (2003), who emphasized the significance of teacher preparation and professional development for seamless integration. This result implies that when integrating OpenStreetMap into the educational context, comparable issues can be relevant. This research project intends to add to the corpus of knowledge on geospatial education and its implications for teaching and learning by conducting a thorough inquiry into the usage of OpenStreetMap in education. The objectives, methodology, anticipated results, and suggestions for this study are described in the following sections. Despite OpenStreetMap's (OSM) immense potential as a formidable geospatial tool, its integration into the education sector, notably in schools, is still only partially complete. This raises questions regarding the teachers' lack of knowledge of and use of OSM, which results in a loss of opportunity to integrate practical mapping experiences and spatial data literacy into the curriculum. Furthermore, its widespread implementation is hampered by the lack of thorough rules and efficient methods for incorporating OSM instruction in schools. There are two issues at hand: First and foremost, it's important to gauge teachers' awareness of, familiarity with, and perceptions of OpenStreetMap education. Teachers might not see the advantages of OSM and its possible uses without a strong understanding of it, and they could be hesitant to use it in their lesson plans. Second, the integration and use of OSM in schools may be hampered by the absence of thorough rules and efficient approaches for incorporating it into the curriculum. Teachers could find it difficult to negotiate the difficulties of efficiently using OSM in their classrooms without clear instructions. The educational potential of OpenStreetMap must be unlocked in order to enable teachers to take advantage of its advantages for improving students' spatial comprehension, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. This study seeks to offer helpful insights and recommendations for boosting OpenStreetMap education among teachers in schools by researching teachers' knowledge, examining the advantages and limitations, and finding effective techniques for incorporating OSM into the curriculum. The primary objectives of the research are as follows: To assess the awareness and knowledge of teachers regarding OpenStreetMap and its potential applications in education, to identify effective strategies and best practices for incorporating OpenStreetMap into teaching and learning. to explore the perceived benefits and challenges associated with integrating OpenStreetMap into the curriculum. to evaluate the impact of OpenStreetMap education on student learning outcomes and engagement. This research will be guided by the following question:
• What are is the knowledge and awareness level of teachers regarding OpenStreetmap and its potential application in education curriculum?
• What strategies and practices are best suitable for incorporating OpenStreetmap into teaching and learning?
• What are the benefits and challenges associated with integrating OpenStreetMap into school curriculum?
• What are the impacts of OpenStreetmap education on students learning outcomes and engagement?
The research proposal will employ a mixed method approach combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. The study will be conducted in three phases. Phase one which will involve survey and interviews. Semi structured interviews will be conducted with a subset of teachers to gain in-depth understanding into their experiences, strategies, and recommendations regarding OpenStreetMap education. Phase two will involve curriculum analysis. Reviewing and analyzing existing curriculum documents and guidelines. Interviews with focus groups and curriculum developers and education policy makers will be conducted. The interview will shed lights on the integration of OSM into the curriculum, challenges faced, and strategies for successful implementation. Phase three will involve classroom implementation and evaluation. OpenStreetMap will be integrated into a smaple of classrooms and data will be collected on learning outcomes of students, their engagements and attitudes towards the use of OSM. This research will be important to multiple stakeholders, including educators, policymakers, curriculum developers, and students empowering them towards advanced geospatial education research. It has the potential to drive positive change in educational practices and foster the development of a geospatially literate society. After the research is concluded, the expected outcomes of the research are to promote the integration of OpenStreetMap into education. Equip teachers and students with geospatial literacy and enhance their critical thinking skills.