Researchers have shown that young children solve mapping tasks in small spaces, but have rarely tested children's performance in large, unfamiliar environments. In the current research, children (9-10 years; N = 40) explored an unfamiliar campus and marked flags' locations on a map. As hypothesized, better performance was predicted by…

A foundational skill for all field-based sciences is the ability to accurately record the location of field observations onto a map. To investigate the strategies children use when recording their observations during field-based inquiries, fourth graders were asked to indicate the location of colored flags by placing similarly colored stickers on…

Children's cognitive skills change substantially from the time they enter school at about the age of five to when they graduate from high school a dozen years later. Some changes can be attributed to the school curriculum, but others are part of children's developmental evolution as they mature and interact with the world. Rather than reviewing…

Preschoolers placed stickers on maps to show locations of objects currently in view. Vantage point (eye-level versus raised), map form (plan versus oblique), and item type (floor versus furniture location) were varied. Results showed that using an oblique map first aided subsequent performance on a plan map. Subjects performed worse on floor…

A geographer and a developmental psychologist collaborated on an investigation of the development of children's ability to comprehend, produce, and use graphic representations of space. Such representations are called "geo-graphics" in this paper. The researchers held that children's mastery of maps is dependent on their developing…

A total of 259 children between 5 and 12 years of age plotted the location and heading of an adult who was standing in their classroom onto a map of the classroom. Older children performed better than younger ones; boys performed better than girls. (MDM)

Twenty preschoolers and 10 student teachers were asked to reconstruct the complete layout of their classroom by using a small-scale model as well as by using life-size furniture in the classroom itself. Children's performances were significantly better in the classroom than they were on the model. (Author/MP)

Discusses how educating children to use maps for navigation may enhance wayfinding skills as well as general representation and spatial skills. Documents need for innovative educational curricula to meet challenges of teaching map navigation. Describes development and evaluation of "Where Are We?" curriculum to simulate real-world…