The role of maps in the development of spatial thinking skills in geography education: A qualitative document analysis
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https://doi.org/10.70736/ijoess.1669Keywords:
Geography teaching, spatial thinking, mapAbstract
Considering today’s spatial problems, maps, which are spatial representation tools, are very important for spatial thinking skills and their development. The aim of the research is to examine the importance of maps in the development of spatial thinking skills in geography teaching with an interdisciplinary understanding. The study group of the research consists of theses, articles, meeting reports and books written on spatial thinking skills. The research is a qualitative research and the data was collected through document review. In the research, concepts such as space, spatial thinking, spatial thinking skills, the importance of spatial thinking skills and how maps are effective in the development of spatial thinking skills are explained. The role of maps in the development of spatial thinking skills is discussed separately in terms of map elements such as title, legend, scale, coordinate system and direction arrow. The data collected as a result of the literature review in the research was analyzed descriptively. According to the findings of the research, it was determined that spatial thinking starts at an early age, maps are the most important representation tools of space in the development of spatial thinking, map elements, cartographic features of maps and map reading affect spatial perception and spatial thinking. It has been concluded that there should be a geometric harmony between the reader and the map when reading maps, that comprehensive spatial concepts should be used when analyzing space, that factors such as the projection method used, the coordinate system, the selection of a map appropriate for the student’s age, the harmony of symbols and colors used in maps affect the development of spatial thinking skills.
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