The use of mental maps in the assessment of geographic knowledge: Form and content of map sketches drawn by last year Primary Education students in the Balearic Islands (Spain)

Abstract

This work pursues the study of mental maps as a tool to assess the geographic knowledge of the Balearic Islands among school students from 17 primary education schools. The study reveals an interrelationship between the formal aspects of the cartographic sketches and the level of geographic knowledge expressed (content) through the mentioned places. This finding adds value to the power of cartographic sketching as a tool for the study of geographic knowledge, disproving those who question it.