Abstract
Maps are not just powerful tools to communicate spatial information; they also have significant educational potential to develop students’ knowledge, skills, and thinking. To fully exploit this potential, deep research is needed into map-use processes considering the variability of map types and the cognitive complexity of map operations. Whereas research on map reading is relatively common, the research into cognitively more demanding operations is lacking. Therefore, this study employed an eye-tracking experiment combined with a follow-up questionnaire with 20 upper-secondary students to examine the strategies students choose when analyzing general-reference maps. Specifically, attention is paid to the strategy repertoire, distribution, efficiency, and adaptiveness of strategy choice. Subsequently, the study is focused on students’ perception of strategies. According to the results, participants used a rich repertoire of strategies (although many of them unconsciously) and adapted the strategy choice to task demands. The solution efficiency varied among task demands, as did the efficiency of individual strategies and their combinations. The research design allowed a comparison with earlier studies on strategies for thematic map use. The results should be of interest to cartographers (to design effective educational tools) and educators (to educate map users complexly and effectively).
Highlights
One of the traditional definitions of cartography states that it aims to collect and analyze data and measurements of the Earth’s various patterns and represent them graphically on such a reduced scale that the elements of these patterns are clearly visible [1]
Maps are powerful tools to communicate spatial information, but they have significant educational potential that should be exploited by high-quality cartography education
This study focuses on strategies used when analyzing a general-reference map—
Summary
One of the traditional definitions of cartography states that it aims to collect and analyze data and measurements of the Earth’s various patterns and represent them graphically on such a reduced scale that the elements of these patterns are clearly visible [1]. Map users must be educated to decode the information that cartographers encoded in the map and to analyze and interpret this information, inter alia, in relation to other information displayed on the map and in a broader context [8,9]. In this regard, maps (and cartography education in general) serve as tools of spatial thinking development [10,11]
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