Investigating Web Mapping's Contribution to Students' Learning of Geographical Thinking

Research on the use of online maps in geography education underlines their potential to foster geographic thinking. However, the role of interactivity in this process has not been considered in educational settings. To address this issue, the contribution of web mapping to students’ taxonomy is investigated. Our methodology combines analysis of student productions, mouse tracking, spatiotemporal clustering, statistical modeling, and focus groups. The data collection was carried out in three stages in a class of 20 students aged 14–15 years, using three online mapping interfaces with similar interactive features. Students’ productions were evaluated using scores based on criteria constructed from Bloom’s revised taxonomy to analyze their learning. Students’ scores were compared to the way they interacted with the online maps. Results show how students master the tool over time. Temporal and spatial patterns of interactive behavior, and their impact on learning, were evident. Several of the cartographic interactions that we studied—such as spatial navigation and the display layer of attributes—had a positive impact on student learning when used moderately and intermittently, whereas juxtaposition only contributed positively when used occasionally. Focus group analysis complemented and contextualized our results by highlighting other factors such as students’ emotions and their issues in interpreting the maps. As a result, we consider this exploratory research to provide an appropriate and useful methodological combination for further research into how digital tools contribute to learning.