The geographical culture of the locality in pre-university education

Abstract

Young people graduating from pre-university education should possess a broad and comprehensive general knowledge, which inherently includes local geographical knowledge, to facilitate their social and civic development in the 21^st century. The objective of this article is to propose a structured didactic alternative, divided into methodological stages, for developing local geographical knowledge in pre-university students. This approach is based on the principle of studying the immediate environment within the framework of the Third Improvement of the National Education System. Theoretical methods (historical-logical, analysis-synthesis, and inductive-deductive) and empirical methods (document analysis, classroom observation, surveys, and interviews) were employed. The initial assessment revealed a fragmentation of local geographical knowledge and methodological limitations in the teaching-learning process. As a solution, a proposal was designed, articulated in three stages of pedagogical intervention, progressing from teacher preparation and spatial characterization to the students' community outreach. Validation through expert criteria and a pedagogical pre-experiment demonstrated the viability, relevance and positive impact of the proposal to enhance attachment to the homeland, identity values and developmental learning of Geography.