Studying Geography Teaching: First-Year Undergraduate Students’ Concerns and Expectations

This article represents a new focus on how we can make student teachers’ images more explicit and voiced in teacher training in geography. The expectations and values of the generations of students entering teacher education constantly change, and undergraduate curricula and faculty must respond accordingly. This article addresses this need by exploring the educational needs, concerns, and beliefs regarding geography teaching of newly admitted undergraduate preservice geography teachers at a single university in Czechia (n = 75). Using an entry survey of two open-ended questions, we used interpretative phenomenological analysis to identify four groups of geography teacher education students with different concerns and expectations regarding initial teacher education (ITE). The findings show that beginner geography teacher education students represent an intrinsically distinct and difficult-to-read cohort. Some students were confident and close-minded, whereas others were reflective and asked specific questions. Additionally, some students cared only about practical tools without considering theoretical justifications or research. Students with high levels of professional identity were also identified. We conclude that long-term individualized and career-oriented student support that reflects and respects future geography teachers’ mutually distinct disciplinary identities is necessary.