Students' Misconceptions About the Correspondences Between a Map and the Terrain Represented by the Map
K. A. Kastens, J. Griffith, L. Liben, and L. Pistolesi 2003 Abstract: American Geophysical Union Fall meeting
This paper presents the development of a field-based test of map skills requiring students to apply information from a map to the real world and vice versa. Test results show that approximately one fifth of fourth graders produce deeply flawed answers. This study has led to the development of the “Where are We?” curriculum, which explicitly addresses the correspondence between a map and the represented terrain.