Using the S-P Chart for Analyzing Map Skills of Senior High School Students --A Case Study
Date Issued
2006
Date
2006
Author(s)
Wu, Wan-Yi
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
Students can learn about geographical phenomena from maps, which can be used to train students’ ability to organize, analyse, and interpret data. Therefore these abilities are strongly related to whether students can learn geography well or not. Moreover, students learn how to read maps at the final stage of their schooling, and that is why it is necessary to know their achievement in map reading as a measure to gauge their geographical knowledge. By using the theme of senior high school textbooks as a framework, this study shows the strengths and weaknesses of students in their ability in map interpretation. In accordance with the characteristic of map interpretation written by Meyer (1973), and the curriculum standard rules of senior high school geography textbooks, the following criteria should be included as follows: Ability to know how to calculate time difference by longitute and measure directions, understand what is “whole circle bearing” and “reduced bearing” as spatial orientation ability, convert scales by using a map in measurement ability, recognize different types of maps and different symbols in the maps especially in different types of contour topographic maps.By using the “student-problem (S-P) chart” which is properly used in formative and diagnosis tests, we can see different individual response pattern of the students, as an indicator of the map reading ability of senior high school students. The results show that students get better grades in the questions of spatial orientation type, and get worse grades in contour topographic map. Most of the students find it difficult to combined different concepts in the questions of contour topographic map type. A major conclusion is: an understanding of contour topographic map reading ability of students may be able to improve the map education and to make educational innovations more successful.
Subjects
讀
圖能力
S-P表
Map reading ability
S-P chart
senior high school students
Type
thesis