How Apps and Time Series Can Foster Motivation on the Topic 'Climate Changes Forest

Abstract

In the context of an advancing culture of digitality, the application of digital geomedia in geography education is steadily gaining importance. Digital applications are attributed high pedagogical potential, particularly for teaching complex global challenges such as the local impacts of climate change. This study investigates how diff erent digital teaching and learning settings aff ect students' intrinsic motivation. Using the teaching and learning setting 'Climate Transforms Forests' ('Klima wandelt Wald') as an example. Two satellite imagery-based approaches—an app-based field trip (mobile location-based learning) and a web application for analyzing satellite time series—are compared with a desktop GIS setting. Data collection was conducted using the short scale of intrinsic motivation (KIM). The results demonstrate that the use of accessible geomedia (apps and satellite imagery) yields signifi cantly higher motivation scores than desktop GIS applications. While the field trip achieved the highest overall motivation values, working with satellite time series proved to be an effective means of engaging students with lower initial interest in geographical topics. These findings underscore the didactical value of intuitive, satellite imagery-based applications for fostering learning motivation in geography education.