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Children's Conceptions of Deserts in Elementary School Pupils in Spatial Contexts

Petr Trahorsch, Jan D. Bláha, Pavel Mlýnek, Barbora Koníčková

In: Geografické informácie (Geographical Information), Ročník (Volume) 26, Číslo (Issue) 1, 2022, p. 167-179, ISSN 1337-9453

DOI: 10.17846/GI.2022.26.1.167-179

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to evaluate the state of children's conceptions and possible misconceptions regarding spatial contexts of deserts among lower secondary school students. To fulfill the aim, a combination of two research methods was used, namely the analysis of children's drawings and mental mapping. It is this combination of methods that can identify the spatial context of children's conceptions of pupils with different assumptions. The results of the study carried out among 592 respondents show that pupils have a very stereotyped and glorified concept of the desert; individuals imagine the desert mainly as a sandy area with minimal rainfall and typical flora and fauna, such as cactus, palm tree, camel, etc. The vast majority of students are able to locate deserts in North Africa, but in other regions they have a problem with localization. A common misconception is the localization of deserts in the region of central South America, i.e., in the region where tropical rainforests are found.

Keywords: children's conceptions, desert, mental map, misconception, children's drawing

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