Reimagining geography education through challenge-based learning: insights from pre-university students in Mexico in the global South

Abstract

This article examines the transformative potential of Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) in reimagining geography education for pre-university students in the Global South. Drawing on a mixed-methods study conducted with 93 students in Mexico, the research investigates how a CBL intervention influenced learners’ understanding of geography, their awareness of professional pathways, their valuation of community knowledge and geospatial tools, and their motivation to further engage with geographic thinking. Anchored in constructivist, socio-constructivist, and critical pedagogical theories and informed by the disciplinary ethos of geography, the study reveals significant conceptual and affective shifts. Post-intervention data show that students moved from static and descriptive views of geography towards recognising it as a socially relevant, interdisciplinary, and problem-solving discipline. The findings also highlight the emergence of disciplinary identity and civic agency among participants. The article explores the implications of these outcomes for curriculum reform, teacher education, and the integration of geography into broader educational strategies that promote sustainability and global citizenship. It argues that CBL offers a robust pedagogical framework for engaging learners with the spatial dimensions of societal challenges and for positioning geography education as a platform for critical inquiry, anticipatory learning, and transformative action.