SYSTEM COMPETENCE IN GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

In the German educational standards in geography, the system concept is stated as being the fundamental concept for the subject. The first part of the essay explains what system competence means, based on the current theoretical and empirical state of knowledge. A solid system theory foundation which addresses the core concern of geography is offered by a socio-ecological system understanding. It is based on system characteristics that can beapplied to physi cal geographical and human geographic al aspects as well as human- environment issues. These characteristics are fundamental to the normative development of a structural and stage model for geographical system competence. This development is illustrated right up to the finished model. The second part of the essay explores the diagnostic tools to be used for the empirical verification of the postulated dimensions and stages of thecompetence model. A tool based on educational the ory for the valid, reliable measurement of system competence is the ultimate objective.