Survey Questionnaire Results

Selected 2018 NAEP geography survey questionnaire results are highlighted below for students' coursetaking in geography; teachers' instruction in geography; and students' confidence in geography-related knowledge and skills.

NAEP survey questionnaire responses provide additional information for understanding NAEP performance results. Although comparisons in students' performance are made based on student, teacher, and school characteristics and educational experiences, these results cannot be used to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the characteristics or experiences and student achievement. NAEP is not designed to identify the causes of performance differences. Therefore, results must be interpreted with caution. There are many factors that may influence average student achievement, including local educational policies and practices, the quality of teachers, available resources, and the demographic characteristics of the student body. Such factors may change over time and vary among student groups.

NAEP reports results using widely accepted statistical standards; findings are reported based on a statistical significance level set at .05 with appropriate adjustments for multiple comparisons. Students are always the unit of analysis when reporting NAEP survey questionnaire responses. The percentages shown are weighted and represent students or students whose teachers or school administrators indicated a specific response on the survey questionnaire. Some student responses are missing due to the inability to link students to their teacher’s or school administrator's responses to the survey questionnaire or due to nonresponse from students, teachers, or school administrators. The denominator of the percentages presented excludes all students with missing information in data for the analysis. The percentage distributions of reported survey response categories could change when students with missing data are included in the denominator. To find missing rates and explore student, teacher, and school questionnaire data further, use the NAEP Data Explorer.

Geography Coursetaking
63% of students learn about geography in grade 8
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About two-thirds of eighth-grade students report learning about geography in grade 8

As part of the 2018 geography assessment, eighth-grade students were asked whether they had taken a class or course about geography in the sixth grade, seventh grade, and eighth grade.

In 2018, sixty-three percent of students reported learning about geography in eighth grade. Specifically, twenty percent of students at grade 8 reported taking an eighth-grade class or course mainly focused on geography, and another forty-three percent of students reported that they took an eighth-grade class or course that included some geography topics. Grade 8 students who reported taking an eighth-grade class or course mainly focused on geography and those who reported taking a class or course that included some geography topics had lower geography scores on average (260) than students who reported not taking an eighth-grade class or course that taught these topics (264).

FIGURE | Percentage of eighth-grade students in NAEP geography, by whether they have taken a class or course about geography in the eighth grade: 2018
63% Reported taking an eighth-grade class or course mainly focused on geography or with some geography topics and scored lower in 2018 compared to students who did not take a class or course with these topics.

In 2018, sixty-three percent of students reported learning about geography in seventh grade. Specifically, twenty-one percent of students at grade 8 reported that they took a seventh-grade class or course mainly focused on geography, and another forty-two percent of students reported that they took a seventh-grade class or course that included some geography topics. Grade 8 students who reported taking a seventh-grade class or course mainly focused on geography and those who reported taking a class or course that included some geography topics had higher scores on average (264) compared to students who reported not taking a seventh-grade class or course that taught geography topics (260).

FIGURE | Percentage of eighth-grade students in NAEP geography, by whether they have taken a class or course about geography in the seventh grade: 2018
63% Reported taking a seventh-grade class or course mainly focused on geography or with some geography topics and scored higher in 2018 than students who did not take a class or course with these topics.

In 2018, fifty-three percent of students at grade 8 reported learning about geography in sixth grade. Specifically, nineteen percent of students at grade 8 reported that they took a sixth-grade class or course mainly focused on geography, and another thirty-four percent of students reported that they took a sixth-grade class or course that included some geography topics. Grade 8 students who reported taking a sixth-grade class or course mainly focused on geography and those who reported taking a class or course that included some geography topics had higher geography scores on average (268) than students who reported not taking a sixth-grade class or course that taught these topics (257).

FIGURE | Percentage of eighth-grade students in NAEP geography, by whether they have taken a class or course about geography in the sixth grade: 2018
53% Reported taking a sixth-grade class or course mainly focused on geography or with some geography topics and scored higher in 2018 than students who did not take a class or course with these topics.
Geography Instruction
17% of students have teachers with primary responsibility for teaching geography
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Seventeen percent of eighth-grade students have teachers who report primary responsibility for teaching geography to their class

As part of the 2018 geography assessment, teachers of eighth-grade students were asked to describe their role in teaching geography to their class.

In 2018, seventeen percent of students at grade 8 had teachers who reported having primary responsibility for teaching geography to their class. There was no statistically significant difference between the average geography scores of students whose teachers had primary responsibility for teaching geography (260) and students whose teachers did not indicate having primary responsibility (260).

FIGURE | Percentage of eighth-grade students in NAEP geography, by whether their teachers have primary responsibility for teaching geography: 2018
17% had teachers who reported having primary responsibility for teaching geography.

Teachers’ roles in teaching geography to their class were examined by type of school. A smaller percentage of public school students than Catholic school students had teachers who reported having primary responsibility for teaching geography in 2018. Specifically, sixteen percent of public school students and thirty-four percent of Catholic school students at grade 8 had teachers who had primary responsibility for teaching geography to their class.

FIGURE | Percentage of eighth-grade students in NAEP geography, by type of school and whether their teachers have primary responsibility for teaching geography: 2018
Larger percentage of Catholic school students than public school students had teachers who reported having primary responsibility for teaching geography in 2018.
* Significantly different (p < .05) from students attending public schools.
Confidence in Geography-related Knowledge and Skills
84% of students report moderate to high confidence levels
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Eighty-four percent of eighth-grade students report moderate to high levels of confidence in their geography-related knowledge and skills in 2018

As part of the 2018 geography assessment, eighth-grade students were asked survey questions about their confidence in demonstrating geography-related knowledge and skills. For example, students reported whether they believed they could use geographic information to answer a question or solve a problem. Students’ responses to these survey questions were combined to create an index that focuses on their confidence in geography-related knowledge and skills.

The chart below shows the percentages (in bars) and average scores (in circles) of eighth-grade students who reported low, moderate, and high levels of confidence in their geography-related knowledge and skills. In 2018, eighty-four percent of students at grade 8 reported moderate to high levels of confidence in their geography-related knowledge and skills. Students who reported moderate or high levels of confidence in their geography-related knowledge and skills scored higher on average (258 and 270, respectively) than students who reported low levels of confidence (242). In addition, students who reported high levels of confidence in their geography-related knowledge and skills scored higher on average than students who reported moderate levels of confidence.

See the detailed results for this question in NAEP Data Explorer: