Maps as Representations: Expert Novice Comparison of Projection Understanding

Abstract
Part of being able to reason geographically means having a deep understanding of maps as specific, albeit limited, representations of the surface of the earth. In this investigation, we examine how varying levels of geographic expertise facilitate reasoning with maps as representations of the earth's surface. A total of 30 participants (tenured geography professors, undergraduate geography majors, geography undergraduates currently enrolled in their first cartography class, and preservice teachers) were asked to draw a series of lines indicating the shortest actual distance between 2 locations, as they would be on the earth's surface. Participants completed these tasks among 3 pairs of locations on a map of the world and 2 pairs of locations on a map of North and South America. As expected, geography experts performed significantly better than novices and preservice teachers on both maps. More important, however, is that experts' performance can be differentiated by the reasoning in which they engaged. Ex...
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