Browsing by Subject "Euroopan kartta"

The purpose of this study was to examine the geographical image of the world of fourth and sixth graders. In addition, the thesis studies how the students' geographical image of the world is changed between the fourth and sixth grades and how the students are familiar with the map of Europe by identifying the European states. The study involved 46 fourth grade and 36 sixth grade students from one primary school in Helsinki. The data consists of mental maps of the world which pupils were asked to draw from memory, and European map task to which pupils named the states. For background information it was asked about the students' travelling experiences as well as information related to their experiences from the use of different types of maps. Mental maps were classified to five basic map types based on the classification by Patrick Wiegand. The results were compared between the age groups. Students' mental map results were also compared to their background information. It was also evaluated how the students identified European states on the map of Europe. Pupils' mental maps were Eurocentric, and Finland and its neighboring areas were emphasized. There were broad variations between the individuals within the age groups. More than half of the sixth graders included almost all the major areas, such as continents, into their mental maps. More than in half cases it was possible to identify the fourth graders mental maps as representations of the world mainly based on the names of the continents and states. However, the fourth-graders often drew Finland's neighboring areas very well. Students with more travelling experiences drew a bit better mental maps than students with less travelling experiences. Also the interest in examining the maps was interrelated to results: Students, who said that they were interested in examining the maps, drew better maps than students, who were not interested in maps. Finland and its neighboring areas were most often identified on the European map task. The differences between the age groups were relatively small in the European map task. Based on the results, students' knowledge about the maps corresponds the level defined in national curriculum.