Pre-service geography teachers from normal universities in China: what do their master's degree theses focus on and imply?

The study addresses how well master’s theses by pre-service geography teachers (STG) at Chinese normal universities reflect their research capabilities, training quality, and alignment with evolving educational reforms. Pre-service teachers significantly shape secondary students’ development, but research rarely analyzes their academic theses despite their importance. China’s 215 normal universities vary widely in resources and outcomes; professional (practice-oriented) and academic (research-oriented) master’s programs differ in goals, duration, and supervision. The STG professional degree commonly employs a Double Tutor System, though off-campus mentor engagement is often limited, potentially constraining thesis originality and depth. Enrollment in professional master’s programs has expanded (over 55% of postgraduates by 2020), elevating their role in basic education without commensurate training reforms. Geography is distinctive: normal universities dominate teacher preparation, and NCEE reforms since 2014 broadened geography’s reach, increasing demand and opportunities. However, STG graduates often lag in innovation and research ability, which is reflected in thesis topic selection. The study aims to: (1) examine STG students’ research capacity and training quality via thesis topics; (2) compare differences across regions and subject assessment levels and propose ways to reduce gaps. Research questions probe trends and foci of topics, differences by institutional tiers and regions, alignment with in-service teacher concerns, and preparation for evolving reforms.

The paper synthesizes domestic and international geography education research to benchmark STG theses. Internationally, fronts include: student-centered and inquiry-based pedagogy (e.g., climate-focused problem-based learning), expanded outdoor education as a complement to classroom teaching, and blended/online innovations such as virtual simulation experiments to offset limited field experiences (Sekhon et al. 2021; Svobodová et al. 2020; Buhl-Wiggers et al. 2023; McDaniel 2022). Domestically, leading themes in the authoritative “Three Journals” (Education of Geography, Geography Teaching, Teaching Reference of Middle School Geography) include the centrality of ‘key competency’ (human–environment relationships, holistic thinking, regional cognition, geographical praxis) since the 2017 curriculum standards, analysis of new textbook editions (especially People’s Education Press), and IT-enabled classroom reform (e.g., ‘Geography Cloud Classroom’ micro-lectures). Compared with these fronts, STG theses tend to be narrower in scope, more practical and school-specific, and less macroscopic.

Design: Bibliometric and comparative analysis of STG master’s theses from 2016–2022. Sampling frame: From 43 universities in the 2017 national subject assessment (first-level Geography), 26 normal universities were selected (Northeast Normal University excluded due to unavailable data). Universities were grouped by subject assessment into nine bands (A+ to C-), combined into three tiers: A (A+, A, A-), B (B+, B, B-), C (C+, C, C-). They were also grouped into regions by economic development: Eastern (n=13), Central (n=6), Western (n=7). Sample: 4510 theses total—Level A: 691; Level B: 2727; Level C: 1092. Annual totals (2016–2022) rose from 537 to 734 overall. Level B accounted for about 60% of the sample. Data: Thesis keywords served as primary data. Visual bibliometrics used CiteSpace and Gephi to construct knowledge maps, perform keyword co-occurrence, clustering, temporal evolution, and burst detection. Separate analyses by university assessment level and by region were conducted. High-frequency keywords were identified using Price’s Law (threshold M = 0.749√Nmax; in this study >32.57).

- Output trends: STG theses increased markedly through 2020 and remained high through 2022, reflecting expanded professional master’s enrollment. Level B universities contributed ~60% of theses, shaping overall trends; Level C growth was limited; Level A peaked around 2019 due to selective quotas. - Overall thematic focus: Research concentrates on secondary education, especially senior secondary geography. Top keywords include ‘senior secondary geography’, ‘teaching strategy’, ‘geography teaching’, ‘junior secondary geography’, ‘key competency’, ‘teaching design’, ‘senior secondary students’, ‘classroom teaching’, ‘cultivation strategy’, and ‘curriculum criteria’. Four keyword modules emerged: (1) teaching design/strategy optimization; (2) key competency development (notably since the 2017 standards); (3) classroom teaching methods and resources (e.g., flipped classrooms, micro-lectures, mind maps, project-based learning, textbooks); (4) emerging topics and curricular resources (e.g., study tours, vernacular geography, school-based curricula). Student-centered motivations were relatively underexplored. - Temporal evolution (2016–2022): A gradual concentration of themes occurred. ‘Senior secondary geography’ dominated increasingly. Traditional topics (e.g., teaching modes) waned after 2016–2017; ‘curriculum standards’ rose from 2017; ‘key competency’ became prominent from 2018; deepening into sub-competencies (‘geographical praxis’, ‘regional cognition’, ‘holistic thinking’) followed. Burst analysis showed shifts from ‘geography curriculum’ and ‘quality-oriented education’ (2016–2017) to student-centered themes (‘flipped classroom’, ‘ability development’, ‘teaching reform’, 2016–2018), and later to ‘evaluation system’, ‘study tours’, and ‘sense of patriotism’ (2019–2022). - Hierarchical heterogeneity by assessment level: • Level A: Nine clusters with emphasis on core disciplinary themes (human–environment relations, regional geography), textbook innovation and map use, and early attention to emerging topics (e.g., study tours). Topics often reflect global perspectives (e.g., climate change, national security, gender differences) and novel methods (e.g., Winsteps analysis of National Geography Olympiad data). • Level B: Ten clusters with broad, diversified coverage leveraging larger data resources: teaching modes, unit teaching, optimization strategies, evaluation systems, learning progression; includes elementary geography education—rare in other tiers. Identified 32 high-frequency keywords (widest breadth). • Level C: Ten clusters emphasizing strategies to enhance student learning, teacher professional development, innovative geography experiments, and school-based curriculum development; topics are more traditional and locally grounded. Identified 18 high-frequency keywords; suggests relatively less innovation. - High-frequency keywords (Price’s Law): Level A (7), Level B (32), Level C (18). Common across tiers: ‘senior secondary geography’, ‘teaching strategy’, ‘key competency’; Level C more focused on ‘teaching modes/design’; Level A includes ‘study tours’, ‘vernacular geography’ and global-strategic themes. - Spatial heterogeneity by region: • Eastern: Diverse, detail-oriented innovation; attention to geographic concepts, experiments, lesson openings, micro-lectures; strong focus on competency and learning progression; marine topics concentrated here (26 of 30 marine-related studies; 86.7%); unique themes include gender differences in geographic abilities. • Central: Integrates eastern and western foci; rapidly adopts cutting-edge topics (e.g., study tours); explores STEM integration via textbook analysis; strong emphasis on case design (76 of 122 total case-design studies). • Western: Focus on classroom practice, curricular resource development, effects of curriculum reform, teacher growth; rich localized studies including minority regions and diverse student groups; emphasis on personalization and local culture. Minority-related research is concentrated (9 of 14 studies). - Alignment with frontiers: STG theses generally reflect current trends but remain narrower and less in-depth compared with domestic/international journal research, which is more macroscopic and holistic.

Findings indicate STG theses concentrate on classic pedagogical themes and increasingly on key competency, aligning with the 2017 curriculum standards and senior secondary textbook revisions, while junior secondary changes were limited. Significant disparities exist by institutional tier and region: higher-tier and eastern institutions tend to address research-oriented, timely topics aligned with frontline concerns and global issues; lower-tier and western institutions emphasize localized, practice-oriented work. Overall, thesis topics are narrower and less innovative than cutting-edge domestic and international research and sometimes lag behind practical needs of in-service teachers. To close gaps and enhance preparation of pre-service teachers, the paper proposes: (1) strengthening the role and accountability of off-campus (school-based) tutors to bridge theory and practice and guide topic selection; (2) deepening university–secondary school partnerships so university faculty remain current with classroom realities and student development, improving guidance and topic relevance; (3) inter-university cooperation (including virtual labs and shared resources) to support under-resourced institutions, promote balanced development, and expand learning opportunities for STG students. Addressing these areas should improve research capacity, innovation, and competitiveness of STG graduates.

STG master’s theses reflect the effectiveness of teacher preparation in normal universities. Key takeaways: (1) thesis topics blend enduring geography education themes with responses to curriculum reforms (especially key competency); (2) notable differences exist across assessment levels and regions; (3) topics often lag cutting-edge domestic and international research and frontline school needs. Recommended actions include a collaborative mechanism linking on- and off-campus tutors, stronger university–school partnerships, and inter-university cooperation to improve research quality and practical alignment. Enhancing research competencies is vital for graduates to adapt to competitive education markets and future teaching careers.

Primary limitations include the relatively short study period (2016–2022) and reliance on keyword-based bibliometric analysis rather than full-text/abstract content, which may limit interpretive depth and persuasiveness. Data accessibility constraints also apply. Future work should extend the timescale, incorporate qualitative data (e.g., external thesis reviews), deepen engagement with international research on pre-service teacher education, and conduct qualitative, in-depth analyses at the institutional level. Emerging AI applications in geography education suggest new forthcoming thesis topics and should be monitored.