Effect of the Map Knowledge and Practice Course in Social Studies Teaching on the Development of Map Literacy Skill

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate the effect of the Map Knowledge and Practice course, which is among the specialized field courses that Social Studies Teachers have studied during the undergraduate education process, on the development of "map literacy skills" in the Introduction to Science and Social Studies Curriculum. Map use for space perception during the teaching of History and Geography subjects included in the Social Studies Education curriculum has an impact on the realization and permanence of teaching, which makes map literacy skills important and crucial in Social Studies Teaching. Many topics, especially in history, geography and social sciences in general, therefore, require knowledge and skills of map literacy. This research studied with social studies teachers working in the province of Hatay. Quantitative research was applied as a data collection method in this study and the questionnaire “The Effect of Map Knowledge and Practice Course on Map Literacy Skill” was implemented to obtain data on the map literacy skill of social studies teachers working in Hatay. A pilot study was employed to 56 social studies teachers so as to calculate the validity and reliability of the questionnaire and the Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the 17-item questionnaire was calculated as .91. The findings revealed that the undergraduate course Map Knowledge and Practice was found to have a positive effect on mapping ability, especially in detecting location on a map, perceiving spatial distribution, comprehending the landforms, interpretation maps, and sense of direction.