European and international research on geography education and geographical competences

Abstract

The Commission on Geographical Education of the International Geographical Union and EUROGEO, the European Association of Geographers, are two important organizations which promote international and European research in geography education. The Centennial of the International Geographical Union has provided the opportunity to make a balance of the key topics in the research of geographical education, and particularly the recent research lines after the publication of the 2016 International Charter on Geographical education. By incorporating innovation in intercultural and international dimensions into the curriculum, using geospatial developments and digital tools to enhance teaching, research, and outdoor learning activities, EUROGEO has achieved several European Union funded projects in geography education. They have contributed to increase the research on geographical and geospatial competences for lifelong learning, and to assess the impact of digital and geospatial literacy to European citizenship. Conferences, publications, projects, and other research activities allows to establish a clear framework for international research in geographic education, and to track the main issues facing researchers, what are the difficulties and what are the challenges ahead in geography education research. In another way, this balance makes it possible to compare the research results with the recommendations and guidelines set out at the time by the American Road Map for 21st Century Geography Education (Geography Education Research report).