Suitability of Cartographic Symbols on the Example of the Economic Maps in Czech School Atlases

Author(s):

Petr Trahorsch(presenting / submitting)Jan Daniel Bláha

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

27. Didactics - Learning and Teaching

Format:

Poster

Session Information

27 SES 09 C, Curriculum & Didactics : Subject learning

Paper/Poster Session

Time:

2017-08-24

13:30-15:00

Room:

K3.06

Chair:

Bernard Schneuwly

Contribution

As many realized studies have documented, it is highly important to active both learner’s basic sense channels simultaneously, e.g. verbal as well as pictorial, to improve an efficiency of learning (Mayer, 1997; Paivio, 2014). Therefore, school education should promote activation, interconnection and complementation of these channels by means of suitable proportion of the text and the visuals in educational process. In the geography education this might be accomplished through the activities with maps, which are contained in textbooks and mainly in school atlases.

Economic-geographical maps are school didactic aids which are commonly used in teaching and performs several functions, e.g. decoration, representation, illustration, organization and interpretation (Mayer, Gallini, 1990). The importance of this kind of teaching aids is to acquire knowledge and understanding, to improve skills and to streamline student attitudes (Ysar, Seremet, 2007). Restriction of the functions of visual didactic instruments may decrease the effectiveness of learning (Peeck, 1993). Nowadays, in the Czech schools are used many atlases from different publishers which intended for primary and secondary school students together. Although it may seem that the competition has positive effect on the quality of maps, unfortunately, it is not happening. Czech economic-geographical maps are criticized for overfullness, lack of transparency and worse readability by cartographers and geography teachers (e.g. Čapek, 1996; Novák, Kramáreková, 2003; Bláha et al., 2015). These facts caused that the effectiveness of teaching can be decreasing.

Educators, as well as the pupils are the only users of the educational cartographic media. Hence, the role of the cartographers in a dialogue about the development of effective school maps and atlases is crucial. Therefore, the analysis of above mentioned aspects in efficiency of learning is the first goal of our paper. The second goal of our paper is to assess suitability of different map key on the example of the economic-geographical maps in Czech school atlases for primary and secondary school students. These maps represent the extra-complex maps with multi-layer and fast developing content through time. Thus, it is legitimate thus to ask how to transmit the content to the learners on various levels of school education. Our research will find the answer to the following questions, in particular: How is significant to think about specialized atlases differentiated for primary and secondary schools? Is it possible to overcome the mentioned map complexity only with application of the cartographic generalization or the synthesis by means of synthetic maps? Which map symbols and means of map representation are sufficient for learners on various levels of school education?

Method

For an appraisal the suitability of the map key for primary and secondary school students was chosen user-based assessment of cartographic work (Bláha, 2010). Authors chose a combination of questionnaire survey with didactic test (hereinafter questionnaire) to find out the opinions of students on the suitability of the map keys as well as the success of the work with map keys. Questionnaire included items focused on a discovery of associativity colours with the types of industry and signs of mineral resources (in the first part of questionnaire) as well as the identification of mining map signs without the use of a legend (in the second part of questionnaire). The questionnaire was distributed to primary and secondary schools (on the grammar school). Two groups of students participated in the research: 120 primary school students (11–13 years old; these students weren’t taught symbols of chemical elements yet) and 73 secondary school students (15–17 years old). Authors suggest that these two groups of students reach extreme (maximum and minimum) level of map skills (Hanus, Marada, 2014). To fill out the questionnaire doesn’t exceed 25 minutes. Data analysis was conducted by means of statistical methods at a significant level of 0,05. It was used chi-square test for contingency table, as well as McNemarʼs test, Mann-Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test (Chrastka, 2000).

Expected Outcomes

Chi-square test of independence significantly documented that the semantically motivated cartographical symbols are more suitable for primary school pupils (ISCED 2; OECD, 2015), the alphanumerical cartographical symbols in economic-geographical maps (e.g. using the symbology of chemical elements) are better for secondary school students (ISCED 3; OECD, 2015). For comparison, the suitability of the current conception of the map key in Czech school atlases (symbol of chemical elements) with a new designed map signs (the initial letter of the mineral resource) were included questionnaire items in which students have to identified cartographic signs without the legend. The Mann-Whitney test showed, that the higher success of secondary school students is statistically significant with identification of current conception of map key. Conversely, the statistically significant difference between the two age groups of pupils was not found in the identification of newly designed characters. Wilcoxon test documented the statistically significant improvement in primary school students in the identification of newly designed cartographic signs. On the other hand, the same statistical test proved the statistically significant downgrade in the identification of newly designed cartographic signs at secondary school students. Nevertheless, the associativity of colour with particular branches of industry is the same in both testing age groups. Concerning the complexity of map contents, the economic-geographical maps are often incomprehensible for younger pupils. They are not able to associate the particular information with the integrated image of economy in presented region. Therefore, new challenges lay in front of the authors of school geographic and cartographic media.

References

BLÁHA, J. D. 2010. Various ways of assessment of cartographic works. In: GARTNER, G. ORTAG, F. Cartography in central and eastern Europe: selected papers of the 1st ICA Symposium on cartography for central and eastern Europe. New York: Springer, pp. 211-231. BLÁHA, J. D. et al. 2015. Discussion about the cartographic production for schools I. Geografické rozhledy. 25(1), pp. 15-16 (in Czech). CHRASKA, M. 2000. Basics of Research in Pedagogy. Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého (in Czech). ČAPEK, R. 1996. School economic maps. Acta Universitatis Carolinae geographica. 31(1), pp. 45-54. HANUS, M., MARADA, M. 2014. Map skills in Czech and foreign curriculum documents: a comparative study. Geografie: sborník ČGS. 118(2), pp. 158-178 (in Czech). OECD. 2015. ISCED 2011 Operational Manual: guidelines for classifying national education programmes and related qualifications. Paris: OECD. PAIVIO, A. 2014. Mind and its evolution: A dual coding theoretical approach. New York: Psychology Press. PEECK, J. 1993. Increasing picture effects in learning from illustrated text. Learning and Instruction. 25(3), pp. 227-238. MAYER, R., GALLINI, J. 1990. When Is an Illustration Worth Ten Thousand Words? Journal of Educational Psychology. 82(4), pp. 715-726. MAYER, R. E. 1997. Multimedia learning: Are we asking the right questions? Educational Psychologist, 32(1), pp. 1-19. NOVÁK, S. KRAMÁREKOVÁ, H. 2003. Czech and Slovak cartographic production in the school atlases. Geodetický a kartografický obzor. 49(7–8), pp. 142-149 (in Czech). YASAR, O., SEREMET, M. 2007. A Comparative Analysis Regarding Pictures Included in Secondary School Geography Textbooks Taught in Turkey. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. 16(2), pp. 157-188.

Author Information

Petr Trahorsch (presenting / submitting)

J. E. Purkyne University in Usti nad Labem, Faculty of Education

Department of Pre-primary and Primary Education

Ústí nad Labem

Jan Daniel Bláha

J. E. Purkyne University in Usti nad Labem, Faculty of Science, Czechia

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