Global Trends in Geography Textbooks (2024–2025): A Keyword-Based Literature Analysis
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Abstract
Geography textbooks play a central role in shaping curriculum implementation and pedagogical practice, particularly in a period of rapid global change. This study analyzes global trends in geography textbooks published between 2024 and 2025 using a keyword-based literature analysis. Drawing on a dataset of 38 internationally published textbooks, keywords were extracted from titles, publisher descriptions, and indexing metadata, then normalized and grouped into thematic domains. The analysis identified six dominant trends: sustainability and environmental education, geospatial technologies and spatial thinking, inquiry based and problem oriented learning, global citizenship and socio-spatial justice, interdisciplinary integration, and future oriented skills. The findings reveal a clear shift toward sustainability centered, technology enhanced, and inquiry driven approaches, positioning geography education as an applied and future oriented discipline. These trends reflect broader transformations in educational priorities related to environmental responsibility, digital competence, and critical global awareness. The study demonstrates the value of keyword-based analysis for identifying macro level patterns in instructional materials and offers implications for curriculum development, textbook design, and future research in geography education.
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