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Article Title: Measuring the Effect of a Geography Developed Instructional Unit on 10th Grade Students Achievement and their Acquisition of Geography Information System (GIS) Skills
by Reem Al Kharouf and Hadi Mohammad Tawalbeh

Abstract:
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of a developed digital unit in geography on 10th grade student's achievement and their acquisition for Geography Information system skills. Sample of the study was purposefully selected from 10th grade students at Yarmouk University Model School in the school year 2011\2012. The semi- experimental design was used in the study. The main objective of the current study is to increase students' use of knowledge economy skills, particularly the use of different software and the electronic content in the learning teaching process. There are several significant positive effects for the current research as it will have enormous positive affect on both students and teacher. For teachers, the new technology will provide them several opportunities for using individualized teaching programs and that the teaching process is no longer limited to the traditional teaching methods. Teachers can integrate the use of technologies in the classroom and this will affect students' acquisition of knowledge economy skills. As for students, the use of this new technology will enable them use new methods in learning and acquiring the learning material and to abandon the traditional learning methods such recitation. In doing so, the student will have more opportunities to use high order thinking skills and life skills and not just memorization. As for the learning teaching process, the current study will have positive effects on the decision making and educational policies. The ministry of education at Jordan can use the suggestions and recommendations of the current study in recommending the use of Geography Information System in the classroom. When developing geography textbooks and when providing the different technologies and adequate infrastructure for using Geography Information System in the classroom, teachers will be in a better place to make students' experience a fruitful one while acquiring knowledge economy skills. This is one of the main objective the Jordanian educational policy seeks to achieve as the recent educational systems is based on the concept of knowledge economy. The researchers developed a Geography Information System based digital instructional unit using ArcView3.3 software and preparing an achievement test. Results of the study indicated that using the Geography Information System has contributed in promoting 10th grade students in geography the achievement of the control and experimental groups students. Students taught using the Geography Information System have acquired the Geography Information system skills and their mastery for these skills was as follows: Sumbology, Select by attributes, Measure, Statistics, and Layout.

Keywords: GIS skills, geography, general education, knowledge economy skills

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