Measuring a baseline for systems thinking in geography at the high school level

Cultivating systems thinking in high school students provides them with the necessary tools to tackle global environmental issues. Systems thinking is a process of understanding how different parts of a system interact to produce a functioning whole. This approach to problem solving enables an understanding of how a system will behave as well as how to modify the system for more desirable outcomes. Given the importance of systems thinking in solving complex or “wicked” problems, educators must have the requisite tools and resources to promote systems thinking. Developing these tools and resources requires an understanding of students' baseline systems thinking competency. This study investigated the systems thinking competency of high school students in Belgium. The authors hypothesized that study participants would have a relatively low proficiency in systems thinking but that proficiency levels would differ by grade and course of study.

This study took place in Flanders, Belgium, and the authors recruited local geography teachers who had previously participated in professional development opportunities at a local university. Eighteen teachers from 17 schools opted to participate in the study and agreed to administer a systems thinking aptitude test to their classes. A total of 735 students (ages 16-18) from different degree programs and academic tracks completed the test in the 30-minute timeframe given. The test asked students to read an excerpt about an ecological system, construct a causal diagram of the system, discuss the relationship between all component parts of the system, and discuss the ways a disturbance might impact the system. The authors used an “ideal answer model” to score the students on a scale of 0-1, with 0 = lacking competence and 1 = fully competent. The authors used statistical methods to analyze the results.

The results of this study indicate that, overall, participants struggled to define and describe the relationships between different elements of a system. The average score on the test was 0.52, indicating that most participants could demonstrate only partial competence in systems thinking, even nearing the completion of high school. Further, test results indicated that students had particular difficulty understanding feedback loops, relationships between humans and the physical environment, and information presented on maps. The two factors that most influenced students' systems thinking abilities were academic track and grade level. The authors found that students in the strongest academic program scored significantly higher on the test than their peers; however, even this group's average score (0.66) was relatively low. The authors also found that students in twelfth grade scored significantly higher than those in eleventh grade. They did not find any significant difference in performance by gender.

This study was limited by the fact that the authors had no way of determining whether the low test scores were a reflection of the quality of education in Flanders or of a poorly designed test. Further, the results were context specific and not generalizable to other populations in other locations. Another study in a different country or context may produce different results.

The authors recommend that educators explicitly discuss the parts of a system and how they are connected. They encourage educators to use visuals, such as diagrams, maps, and simulations, when discussing complex systems with students. They also recommend that teachers divide students into small groups to create visuals and discuss systems. In addition, they recommend tailoring teaching approaches to grade level and academic track to promote the development of systems thinking capacities.