Hotspots, Frontiers, and Trends in Cross-disciplinary Geographical Theme-Based Learning Research in China and Abroad
Geography Teaching. 2026, 0(20): 4-10+49.
Geographical cross-disciplinary topic learning is an important carrier for deepening the reform of basic education
geography curriculum and developing students' core competencies. To systematically grasp the development trends of related
research at home and abroad, this paper takes the relevant literature on geographical interdisciplinary topic learning in the
CNKI and Web of Science databases as samples, and adopts the method of combining CiteSpace keyword co-occurrence
analysis and content analysis to analyze the research hotspots, frontier issues, and development trends. The fi ndings indicate
that current research hotspots are mainly concentrated on disciplinary positioning, theme construction, learning organization,
technological support, and implementation conditions. Related research is moving from the juxtaposition of knowledge across
multiple disciplines toward deeper integration of disciplinary concepts, methods, and ways of knowing, and from isolated
lessons or individual projects toward sequenced and progressively structured curricula across grade levels. Increasing attention
is also being given to authentic participation, whole-process learning assessment, digital and intelligent support, and the
development of curriculum communities. These fi ndings may provide a reference for advancing the theoretical development,
practical improvement, and institutionalization of interdisciplinary theme-based learning in geography in China.