International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education
Editors: A/Prof John Lidstone, Queensland University of Technology and Prof Joseph P. Stoltman, Western Michigan University
Book Review Editor: Dr Sarah Witham Bednarz, Texas A & M University
Editorial Assistant: Donna Bennett, Australia
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Volume: 8 Number: 3 Page: 256–267
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The Effect of Student Freedom of Choice in Learning Map Skills
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J.A. Van Der Schee and H. Van Dijk
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The acquisition of skills is an important part of many new curricula in secondary education. According to these curricula, students have to acquire the ability to identify, to classify, to relate and to
explain phenomena in order to be able to participate in various social and life situations. The general cognitive skills have their domain specific translation in geography in the different stages of map
use: map reading, map analysis and map interpretation. Earlier research at the Free University in Amsterdam concerned the ability of students to use different types of map skills and the effects of some
computer programmes which systematically train students in map skills acquisition. This paper reports a recent study which investigates the effect of the degree of freedom of choice, which first year students
in secondary education have during their training, on the learning of map skills. It is recommended that students are given the opportunity themselves to decide upon the sequence in which they will perform
the map assignments.
© Channel View Publications 1998
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