The power of deep time in geoscience education: linking 'interest', 'threshold concepts', and 'self-determination theory'

Abstract

Geological time is a pivotal concept in geological education, yet it often fails to be included explicitly in UK school curricula. The careful application of existing educational theory can assist geoscience educators in their role of enhancing learners' understanding of Earth's deep history and providing a deep time conceptual framework for environmental change education. Three bodies of theory are reviewed with teachers' imperatives in mind. These relate to interest, conceptual change and motivation. First, the psychological construct of interest can be analysed in terms of situational and individual interest. Second, threshold concept theory is presented as a recent addition to conceptual change theory. Third, learner motivation is examined in the context of self-determination theory. Such bodies of educational theory are rarely progressively cumulative because new ideas are typically presented in a relatively independent fashion. Further fragmentary theorising may generate minimal new insight, but combining such bodies of theory into a coherent whole may provide greater assistance to educators in their planning, teaching and assessment. Many such teachers have strong subject loyalties and orientations, so this three-fold blend is developed in the context of geoscience, using deep time as the dominant threshold concept. A 3-by-4 cellular model combines the key elements of interest and self-determination theory in relation to the threshold concept of deep time. Teachers can use the model to plan curricula or to diagnose learner motivation and cognition.