All Issue

2025 Vol.31, Issue 2 Preview Page
Characteristics of Wicked Problems as Challenges in Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and Their Implications for Geography Education

도전기반 학습(CBL)의 도전과제로서 난제의 특성과 지리교육의 함의

조철기1 · 송원섭2 · 이종호3

Cho, Chul Ki1 · Song, Won Seob2 · Lee, Jong Ho3

1제1저자, 경북대학교 사범대학 지리교육과 교수
2공동저자, 제주대학교 사범대학 지리교육과 부교수
3교신저자, 경상국립대학교 사범대학 지리교육과 교수/사회과학연구원 마을자치배움센터장
1First Author, Professor, Department of Geography Education, Kyungpook National University
2Co-Author, Associate Professor, Department of Geography Education, Jeju National University
3Corresponding Author, Professor, Department of Geography Education, Gyeongsang National University
31 May 2025. pp. 444-464
PDF Citation
Abstract
This paper discusses the concepts of wicked problems and super-wicked problems as challenges of CBL and their implications for geography education. CBL sets wicked problems as challenges and emphasizes problem solving through direct participation and cooperation of learners. Wicked problems are defined as problems that are difficult to solve because they do not have clear solution and the values of various stakeholders are intertwined, and super-wicked problems further maximize these characteristics. Through this paper, the authors emphasize two aspects. First, CBL can contribute to strengthening global citizenship capabilities by allowing learners to explore various interests and seek solutions centered on wicked problems and super-wicked problems. Second, wicked problems and super-wicked problems are global social issues that directly affect local levels, so they are closely related to geography education. Through CBL based on wicked problems in geography classes, learners can explore sustainable solutions from a geographical perspective and strengthen their critical thinking and collaborative problem solving skills.
Keywords
challenge-based learning
wicked problems
super wicked problems
geography education
social challenges
이 논문은 CBL의 도전과제로서 난제와 초난제의 개념이 무엇인지, 그리고 그것이 지리교육에 있어서 어떠한 의미성을 가지는지에 대해 논의한다. CBL은 난제를 도전과제로 설정하며, 학습자의 직접적인 참여와 협력을 통한 문제해결을 강조한다. 난제는 명확한 해결책이 없고 다양한 이해관계자의 가치가 얽혀 있어 해결이 어려운 문제로 정의되며, 초난제는 이러한 특징을 더욱 극대화한다. 필자들은 이 논문을 통해 2가지 측면을 강조한다. 첫째, CBL은 난제와 초난제를 중심으로 학습자들이 다양한 이해관계를 탐색하고 해결책을 모색함으로써 글로벌 시민성 역량 강화에 기여할 수 있다. 둘째, 난제와 초난제는 글로벌한 사회적 이슈로, 지역적 수준에서도 직접적인 영향을 미치기 때문에 지리교육과 밀접하게 연관된다. 지리 수업에서 난제에 기반한 CBL을 통해 학습자들은 지리적 관점으로 지속가능한 해결책을 탐색하며, 비판적 사고와 협력적 문제해결 능력을 강화할 수 있다.
키워드
도전기반 학습
난제
초난제
지리교육
사회적 도전과제
References
  1. 양윤의·고은이·김시정·백은숙·염인수·최윤, 2024, 인류세 시대의 교양교육과 PBL 리빙랩: 고려대학교 교양 필수 교과목 <자유정의진리Ⅱ>를 중심으로, 교양교육연구, 18(1), 131-149.
  2. 이종호·송원섭·조철기, 2025, 학습지역과 지역혁신의 실천적 도구로서 레고 시리어스 플레이, 한국경제지리학회지, 28(1), 67-76.
  3. 조철기, 2018, 중학교 사회 교과서의 ‘환경문제’와 ‘환경이슈’에 대한 비판적 고찰, 사회과교육, 57(2), 135-150. 10.37561/sse.2018.06.57.2.135
  4. 조철기·송원섭·이종호, 2025, 학습자주도형의 창의적 학습 모형으로서 도전기반 학습(CBL)에 대한 탐색, 한국지역지리학회지, 31(1), 116-134. 10.26863/JKARG.2025.2.31.1.116
  5. 최종오, 2022, 난제의 개념적 이해와 고등직업교육의 중복성 문제-전문대학과 폴리텍을 중심으로-, 성인계속교육연구, 13(2), 191-216. 10.20512/kjace.2022.6.30.191
  6. 한삼희, 2016, 위키드 프라블럼: 환경저널리스트 한삼희의 기후 난제 이야기, 궁리.
  7. Bennett, D.E., 2013, Geography and the emergence of sustainability science: Missed opportunities and enduring possibilities, The Geographical Bulletin, 54(2), 99-112.
  8. Binder, F.V., Nichols, M., Reinehr, S., and Malucelli, A., 2017, Challenge Based Learning Applied to Mobile Software Development Teaching, Proceedings - 30th IEEE Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, CSEE 2017, Savannah, GA, USA, 57-64. 10.1109/CSEET.2017.19
  9. Brace, S., 2019. How to teach climate change in secondary geography, Teachwire.
  10. Brown, V.A., 2010, Collective inquiry and its wicked problems, in Brown, V.A., Harris, J.A., and Russell, J.Y. (eds.), 2010, Tackling wicked problems through the transdisciplinary imagination, Earthscan, 61-83.
  11. Brown, V.A., Harris, J.A., and Russell, J.Y. (eds.), 2010, Tackling wicked problems through the transdisciplinary imagination, Earthscan. 10.4324/9781849776530
  12. Buckingham Shum, S.J., 2003, The roots of computer supported argument visualization, in Kirschner, P.A., Buckingham Shum, S.J., and Carr, C.S., Visualizing Argumentation: Software tools for collaborative and educational sense-making, London: Springer-Verlag, 3-24. 10.1007/978-1-4471-0037-9_1
  13. Cantor, A., DeLauer, V., Martin, D., and Rogan, J., 2015, Training interdisciplinary “wicked problem” solvers: Applying lessons from HERO in community-based research experiences for undergraduates, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 39(3), 407-419. 10.1080/03098265.2015.1048508
  14. Cennamo, K., Brandt, C., Scott, B., Douglas, S., McGrath, M., Reimer, Y., and Vernon, M., 2011, Managing the Complexity of Design Problems Through Studio-Based Learning, Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 5(2), 12-36. 10.7771/1541-5015.1253
  15. Conklin, J., 2006, Dialogue mapping: Building shared understanding of wicked problems, Wiley.
  16. Cross, I.D. and Congreve, A., 2021, Teaching (super) wicked problems: authentic learning about climate change, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 45(4), 491-516. 10.1080/03098265.2020.1849066
  17. Crowley, K. and Head, B.W., 2017, The enduring challenge of ‘wicked problems’: Revisiting Rittel and Webber, Policy Sciences, 50(4), 539-547. 10.1007/s11077-017-9302-4
  18. Davidson, G. and Catling, S., 2000, Towards the Question-led Curriculum, in Fisher C. and Binns, T. (eds.), Issues in Geography Teaching, London: Routledge, 5-14.
  19. Davidson, J. and Lyth, A., 2012, Education for climate change adaptation - Enhancing the contemporary relevance of planning education for a range of wicked problems, Journal of Education in the Built Environment, 7(2), 63-83. 10.11120/jebe.2012.07020063
  20. Davidson, J., Prahalad, V., and Harwood, A., 2021, Design precepts for online experiential learning programs to address wicked sustainability problems, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 45(3), 319-341. 10.1080/03098265.2020.1849061
  21. Dentoni, D. and Bitzer, V., 2015, The role(s) of universities in dealing with global wicked problems through multi-stakeholder initiatives, Journal of Cleaner Production, 106(November), 68-78. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.050
  22. Dentoni, D., Hospes, O., and Ross, B., 2012, Managing wicked problems in agribusiness: The role of multi-stakeholder engagements in value creation, International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 15(B), 1-12.
  23. Dewulf, A., 2013, Contrasting frames in policy debates on climate change adaptation, WIREs Climate Change, 4(4), 321-330. 10.1002/wcc.227
  24. Duckett, D., Feliciano, D., Martin-Ortago, J., and Munoz-Rojas, J., 2016, Tackling wicked environmental problems: The discourse and its influence on praxis in Scotland, Landscape and Urban Planning, 154(October), 44-56. 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.03.015
  25. France, D. and Haigh, M., 2018, Fieldwork@40: Fieldwork in geography higher education, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 42(4), 498-514. 10.1080/03098265.2018.1515187
  26. Gallagher, S.E. and Savage, T., 2023, Challenge-based learning in higher education: An exploratory literature review, Teaching in Higher Education, 28(6), 1135-1157. 10.1080/13562517.2020.1863354
  27. Gaskins, W.B., Johnson, J., Maltbie, C., and Kukreti, A., 2015, Changing the learning environment in the college of engineering and applied science using challenge based learning, International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (Ijep), 5(1), 33-41. 10.3991/ijep.v5i1.4138
  28. Glass, M.R., 2015, International geography field courses: Practices and challenges, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 39(4), 485-490. 10.1080/03098265.2015.1108044
  29. Gómez Puente, S.M., van Eijck, M.W., and Jochems, W.M.G., 2013, A Sampled Literature Review of Design-Based Learning Approaches: A Search for key Characteristics, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 23(3), 717-732. 10.1007/s10798-012-9212-x
  30. Head, B. and Alford, J., 2015, Wicked Problems: The Implications for Public Management, Administration & Society, 47(6), 711-739. 10.1177/0095399713481601
  31. Herrington, A. and Herrington, J., 2006, What is an authentic learning environment? in Herrington A. and Herrington, J. (eds.), Authentic learning environments in higher education, Information Science Publishing, 1-14. 10.4018/978-1-59140-594-8.ch001
  32. Hopwood, N., 2007, Values and controversial issues, GTIP Think Piece.
  33. Hovorka, A.J. and Wolf, P.A., 2009, Activating the classroom: Geographical fieldwork as pedagogical practice, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 33(1), 89-102. 10.1080/03098260802276383
  34. IPCC, 2018, Global warming of 1.5 degrees: Special report.
  35. Jentoft, S. and Chuenpagdee, R., 2009, Fisheries and coastal governance as a wicked problem, Marine Policy, 33(4), 553-560. 10.1016/j.marpol.2008.12.002
  36. Jordan, M.E., Kleinsasser, R.C., and Roe, M.F., 2014, Wicked problems: Inescapable wickedity, Journal of Education for Teaching, 40(4), 415-430. 10.1080/02607476.2014.929381
  37. Kate, H., James, J., and Tidmarsh, C., 2019, Using wicked problems to foster interdisciplinary practice among UK trainee teachers, Journal of Education for Teaching, 45(4), 446-460. 10.1080/02607476.2019.1639263
  38. Kaufman, S., Lewicki, R., and Coben, J., 2013, Teaching wickedness to students: Planning and public policy, business, and law, in Honeyman, C., Cobben, J., and Wei-Min Lee, A. (eds.), Educating negotiators for a connected world: Volume 4 in the rethinking negotiation teaching series, Saint Paul, 511-537.
  39. Kirschner, P.A., Buckingham Shum, S.J., and Carr, C.S., 2003, Visualizing Argumentation: Software tools for collaborative and educational sense-making, London: Springer-Verlag. 10.1007/978-1-4471-0037-9
  40. Kohn Rådberg, K., Lundqvist, U., Malmqvist, J., and Hagvall Svensson, O., 2020, From CDIO to challenge-based learning experiences-expanding student learning as well as societal impact?, European Journal of Engineering Education, 45(1), 22-37. 10.1080/03043797.2018.1441265
  41. Kreber, C., McCune, V., and Klampfeitner, M., 2010, Formal and implicit conceptions of authenticity in teaching, Teaching in Higher Education, 15(4), 383-397. 10.1080/13562517.2010.493348
  42. Langellier, J.M., 2013, Storytelling, turning points, and wicked problems in performance studies, Text and Performance Quarterly, 33(3), 214-219. 10.1080/10462937.2013.790072
  43. Larsson, J. and Holmberg, J., 2018, Learning while creating value for sustainability transitions: The case of Challenge Lab at Chalmers University of Technology, Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 4411-4420. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.03.072
  44. Lazarus, R.J., 2009, Super wicked problems and climate change: Restraining the present to liberate the future, Cornell Law Review, 94(5), 1153-1234.
  45. Levin, K., Cashore, B., Bernstein, S., and Auld, G., 2009, Playing it forward: path dependency, progressive incrementalism and the “super wicked” problem of global climate change, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 6(50). 10.1088/1755-1307/6/0/502002
  46. ___________________________________________, 2012, Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems: Constraining our future selves to ameliorate global climate change, Policy Science, 45(2), 123-152. 10.1007/s11077-012-9151-0
  47. Malmqvist, J., Rådberg, K.K., and Lundqvist, U., 2015, Comparative analysis of challenge-based learning experiences, Proceedings of the 11th International CDIO Conference, University of Information Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 87-94.
  48. McCune, V., 2020, Curricula for wicked problems, The Wicked Problems Project.
  49. Mitchell, J.T., 2023, Wicked from the Start: Educational Impediments to Teaching about Climate Change (and How Geography Education Can Help), Education Sciences, 13, 1174, 1-12. 10.3390/educsci13121174
  50. Morgan, 2006, Argumentation, Geography Education and ICT, Geographgy, 91(2), 126-140. 10.1080/00167487.2006.12094158
  51. Nichols, M. and Cator, K., 2008, Challenge Based Learning White Paper: Take Action and Make a Difference, Challenge Based Learning White Paper, Cupertino, CA: Apple.
  52. Niskanen, V.P., Rask, M., and Raisio, H., 2021, Wicked Problems in Africa: A Systematic Literature Review, SAGE Open, July-September 2021, 1-19. 10.1177/21582440211032163
  53. Pawson, E. and Poskitt, M., 2019, Taking ownership: Active learning and student engagement, in Walkington, H., Hill, J., and Dyer, S. (eds.), Handbook for teaching and learning in geography, Edward Elgar, 329-341. 10.4337/9781788116497.00034
  54. Paynter, S., 2014, Tackling wicked problems through engaged scholarship, Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 7, 48-59. 10.54656/HWOA1168
  55. Peters, B.G., 2017, What is so wicked about wicked problems? A conceptual analysis and a research program, Policy and Society, 36(3), 385-396. 10.1080/14494035.2017.1361633
  56. Peters, B.G. and Tarpey, M., 2019, Are wicked problems really so wicked? Perceptions of policy problems, Policy and Society, 38(2), 218-236. 10.1080/14494035.2019.1626595
  57. Pitchford, A., Owen, D., and Stevens, E., 2021, A handbook for authentic learning in higher education: Transformational learning through real world experiences, Routledge. 10.4324/9780429242854
  58. Prendergast, P., 2020, Voters face stark choices when it comes to higher education, The Irish Times.
  59. Pretorius, R. and Fairhurst, J., 2015, The role of geography in multi-inter-trans-disciplinary study programmes for environmental sustainability, in Leal Filho, W. (ed.), Transformative approaches to sustainable development at universities, World Sustainability Series, 435-448. 10.1007/978-3-319-08837-2_29
  60. Ramezanzadeh, A., Zareian, G., Adel, S.M.R., and Ramezanzadeh, R., 2017, Authenticity in teaching: A constant process of becoming. Higher Education, 73(2), 299-315. 10.1007/s10734-016-0020-1
  61. Redshaw, C. and Frampton, I., 2014, Optimising Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning in Postgraduate Environmental and Science Education: Recommendations from a Case Study, International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 9(1), 97-110.
  62. Rittel, H.W.J. and Webber, M.M., 1973, Dilemmas in a general theory of planning, Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155-169. 10.1007/BF01405730
  63. Roberts, M., 2013, Geography Through Enquiry: Approaches to teaching and learning in the secondary school, Sheffield: Geographical Association.
  64. __________, 2017, Geographical Education Is Powerful if .., Teaching Geography, 42(1), 6-9.
  65. Robinson, Z., 2009, Embedding employability context through assessment design, Planet, 21(1), 64-67. 10.11120/plan.2009.00210067
  66. Schulman, L.S., 2005, Signature pedagogies in the professions, Dædalus, Summer(2005), 52-59. 10.1162/0011526054622015
  67. Simm, D. and Marvell, A., 2015, Gaining a “sense of place”: Students’ affective experiences of place leading to transformative learning on international fieldwork, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 39(4), 595-616. 10.1080/03098265.2015.1084608
  68. Simm, D., Marvell, A., and Mellor, A., 2021, Teaching “wicked” problems in geography, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 45(4), 479-490. 10.1080/03098265.2021.1956883
  69. Sjöholm, J. and Trygg, K., 2024, CBL and living labs: towards a methodology for teaching sustainability transitions in urban planning education, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 49(1), 1-17. 10.1080/03098265.2024.2338110
  70. Sproken-Smith, R., 2013, Toward securing a future for geography graduates. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 37(3), 315-326. 10.1080/03098265.2013.794334
  71. Termeer, C.A.M., Dewulf, A., and Biesbroek, R., 2019, A critical assessment of the wicked problem concept: Relevance and usefulness for policy science and practice, Policy and Society, 38(2), 167-179. 10.1080/14494035.2019.1617971
  72. Tromp, C., 2018, Wicked philosophy: Philosophy of science and vision development for complex problems, Amsterdam University Press. 10.1515/9789048541096
  73. van Bruggen, J.M., Boshuizen, H.P.A., and Kirschner, P.A., 2003, A cognitive framework for cooperative problem solving with argument visualization, in Kirschner, P.A., Buckingham Shum, S.J. and Carr, C.S. (eds.), Visualizing Argumentation: Software tools for collaborative and educational sense-making, London: Springer-Verlag.
  74. van den Beemt, A., van de Watering, G., and Bots, M., 2023, Conceptualising variety in challenge-based learning in higher education: the CBL-compass, European Journal of Engineering Education, 48(1), 24-41. 10.1080/03043797.2022.2078181
  75. Wilson, G., 2009, The world has problems while universities have disciplines: Universities meeting the challenge of environment through interdisciplinary partnerships, Journal of the World Universities Forum, 2(2), 57-62. 10.18848/1835-2030/CGP/v02i02/56576
  76. Ziegler, A.D., Gillen, J., Newall, B., Grundy-Warr, C., and Wasson, R.J., 2013, Comprehensive research in geography, Area, 45(2), 252-254. 10.1111/area.12021
Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Association of Regional Geographers
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국지역지리학회
  • Journal Title :REGION AND GEOGRAPHY
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지역과 지리
  • Volume : 31
  • No :2
  • Pages :444-464
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.26863/JKARG.2025.5.31.2.444
Journal Informaiton REGION AND GEOGRAPHY REGION AND GEOGRAPHY
Journal Informaiton Journal Informaiton - close