Challenges and Obstacles Encountered in the Teaching and Learning of Earth Science in Moroccan Secondary Education: Teachers' Perspectives

Background/Objective. The teaching and learning of geology in Morocco's secondary education system seems to face various challenges. This research aims to recognize and analyze these challenges so as to develop a deeper understanding of the problems faced in middle and high school classrooms.

Materials/methods. To this end, a survey was conducted among Life and Earth Sciences teachers working in secondary education in Morocco using an online questionnaire (via Google Forms). Participants were selected using a non-probability sampling method based on self-selection; only teachers who voluntarily agreed to respond to the questionnaire were included in the sample. The sample comprised 142 Life and Earth Sciences teachers from public secondary schools under various provincial education directorates across Morocco. The questionnaire was divided into two parts: the first part, comprising four items, gathers general information about the respondents; the second part, composed of 17 items, explores the specific difficulties encountered in the teaching and learning of geology. Data analysis was carried out using Excel for descriptive statistical processing and SPSS software to apply the Chi-square test to examine relationships between certain variables.

Results. The data analysis reveals numerous challenges from both teachers' and students' perspectives. These challenges are mainly related to the characteristics of the subject, particularly its use of abstract concepts and the intricate ideas of geological time and spatial relationships.

Conclusion. The study found that there are also obstacles related to teaching methods, pedagogy, administration, and individual circumstances. To address these setbacks, the teachers surveyed suggested several solutions to improve the teaching of geology and facilitate student learning.

Keywords: Teaching and learning, secondary schooling, geoscience, issues and obstacles, survey

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