The Impact of Map Type on the Level of Student Map Skills

Abstract

Thematic maps are becoming increasingly important in the current information age, and therefore they have become part of the everyday life of the wider public. Given the number of mapping methods used in thematic cartography, the question arises of what extent the utilized method influences a user’s map use level. For this reason, research has been undertaken with 392 students in the 17–20 age group with the aim of identifying and clarifying the influence of the mapping methods used (specifically choropleth mapping, diagram mapping, qualitative and quantitative line symbols, and area shading). The results have shown that the students were less successful with maps that used quantitative mapping methods than with maps using qualitative or both qualitative and quantitative mapping methods. The differences were most significant in the case of the cognitively demanding map interpretation skill, especially due to the students’ problematic understanding of the very essence of the quantitative methods. The different natures of the tested mapping methods also probably accounted for the identification of various factors explaining the differences in the levels of the work with the given thematic maps among the individual tested students.