World Sketch Maps: Drawing Skills or Map Knowledge?
Date
2001
Authors
Saarinen, Tom
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to determine whether sketch maps drawn by adults reflect drawing ability or geographic knowledge. Data come from the “Parochial Views of the World” project, a worldwide study of mental maps of the world. Three types of data are analyzed: 1) answers provided by participants who completed follow-up interviews and questions immediately following a world map sketching exercise, 2) a complete sketch map by a fine sketcher, and 3) sample portions of two representative sketch maps. Results indicate that geographic knowledge is the key factor in sketch map quality with sketchers’ home continents and most familiar areas being best represented irrespective of the difficulty involved in drawing them.
Description
Keywords
mental maps, sketch maps, geographic education, drawing ability, geographic knowledge
Citation
Saarinen, T. F. (2001). World sketch maps: Drawing skills or map knowledge? Research in Geographic Education, 3(1), pp. 32-50.