Pedagogical Strategies Employed by History Teachers for the Effective Integration of Google Earth in Fostering Students’ Learning of Historical Sites in Dodoma Secondary Schools
Alfredina Mwanguya & Opanga David
St John’s University of Tanzania
Email: dinamwanguya@gmail.com
Abstract: Instruction regarding historical sites in secondary education often presents significant logistical hurdles, as important heritage locations are frequently remote and inaccessible for routine field excursions. Google Earth offers an interactive geospatial platform that enables educators to virtually pinpoint, navigate, and analyze historical landmarks, terrain, routes, and topographical conditions linked to historical occurrences. This study investigated the pedagogical strategies utilized by history teachers to effectively integrate Google Earth for enhancing students’ learning of historical sites in Dodoma secondary schools, Tanzania. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) focusing on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness this qualitative study examined the instructional practices and perspectives of twelve purposively sampled history teachers across three secondary schools using semi-structured interviews. Data were evaluated through thematic analysis, involving thorough familiarization, coding, categorization, theme formulation, and synthesis. Findings revealed that while all participants routinely merged conventional and digital instructional tools, only one-third had actively applied Google Earth within their history lessons. Educators who implemented the platform relied primarily on spatial visualization techniques, leveraging the software as a cognitive anchor to bridge text-based accounts with concrete geographic features such as distance, scale, and local topography. However, systematic pedagogical integration was substantially hampered by persistent digital infrastructure constraints, high data costs, tight curricular schedules, and gaps in technological-pedagogical knowledge. The study concludes that while Google Earth serves as an impactful supplementary strategy for historical site instruction, its success hinges on targeted professional development, robust internet connectivity, and deliberate alignment with curriculum benchmarks.
