Have Geographers Lost Their Way? Issues relating to the recruitment of geographers into school teaching

Despite efforts by the United Kingdom Government, the Teacher Training Agency and other organisations to address the problem of teacher shortages in geography within English schools, the subject is still failing to attract sufficient students into the profession. Whilst the impact of this has yet to be felt fully in higher education, it is only a matter of time before university geography departments may find it increasingly difficult to recruit quality students onto their undergraduate courses. By sampling three distinct populations, geography teachers, geography undergraduates and sixth formers [1] , this research presents evidence of the recruitment problem, seeks to understand its nature and suggests strategies for addressing the underlying issues.