Eva Neidhardt

Which children can find a way through a strange town using a streetmap? - results of an empirical study on children’s orientation competence

This article relates about some results of an interdisciplinary research project analyzing influencing factors of childrens spatial orientation competence in real space carried out by geography educators and psychologists. The focus is on the concept of representation as a theoretical foundation. The research design for collecting data of independent and dependent variables (map-based orientation competence, MBO), and the self-developed measuring instrument are explained. Altogether, 328 pupils of third, fourth, and fifth grade (aged 8–12 years) were tested. The orientation competence of children in strange spaces was slightly above the average, and grew with age. The most spectacular increase was detected on the transition from third to fourth grade. Additionally, boys scored higher than girls. The results also showed that along with age and gender, spatial intelligence (mental rotation) and previous knowledge shape MBO. A limited influence can be attributed to self-concept and previous experiences, while interest has no influence on MBO at all.

The Influence of Children's Prior Knowledge and Previous Experience on Their Spatial Orientation Skills in an Urban Environment.

This study investigates the capacity of children to develop map-based skills in spatial orientation in an urban environment unknown to them. In this quantitative study, a total of 328 pupils of grades 3–5 had to achieve specific skills with regard to map-based skills in spatial orientation (such as turning-off skills, transformation from map to place, finding ones direction, navigation). These skills were tested by means of a map of Münster (Westphalia, Germany). This paper focuses on factors of potential influence, such as prior knowledge in the field of map reading as well as family- and school-related previous experience.

Activity effects on path integration tasks for children in different environments

In each of the three presented studies kindergarten children and school children walked a path of about one kilometer in a macro environment At up to six locations subjects stopped and were asked to point into the direction of the path origin with their outstretched arm and finger and later with a mechanical pointer or, in the case of the virtual environment, with a laser pointer. Pointing accuracy was taken as a measure for path integration. Kindergarten children from small German towns and from a primary school in Namibia as well as school children from Munich were tested. The Munich school children were also assessed in a virtual reality condition. Results indicate that childrens activity reports influence pointing accuracy. Implications for gender differences and ideas on affordances of childrens future real environments are discussed.