Cartographic expression of young children's spatial skills

Abstract

The ability of children to free-recall maps, and the details shown on them, indicates both the ability of the young minds to represent cartographically their spatial environment and also determine the level and type of environmental engagement. A set of factors may influence spatial skills in children and are largely dependent on the home environment in which they live and parenting choices in terms of education, play and socio-economic upbringing. In this study, spatial visualisation and orientation in children are examined through mental cartographic images of familiar places drawn by children aged between 8 to 10 years. It aims to test whether type of play, independence levels and transport methods influence children’s spatial skills. These three factors were chosen in view of the rapid cultural and socio-economic changes experienced in the last decades on the Maltese Islands. The increase in urbanisation, car usage, dual income households and scheduled activities is impacting on the frequency, access and safety to free-range outdoor activities. This study is a first in using a multi-method approach in which children were interviewed and asked to draw a mental map of their choice, whilst their parents were given questionnaires to provide further background information and context of each participant’s lifestyle. Each map was then analysed by content analysis.