How Map Type Shapes Student Questioning: Evidence from Choropleth and Dasymetric Population Density Maps

Abstract

Although maps are widely used in geography education, there is limited knowledge about how different types of maps influence students’ engagement with spatial information. This issue is particularly relevant in secondary education, where students are still developing both map skills and the ability to formulate questions. This study addresses the gap by examining student-generated questions about two maps of world population density represented using different cartographic methods: a choropleth map and a dasymetric map. The analysis is based on 869 questions produced by 176 students in grades 6–9 of two lower-secondary schools. It investigates whether map type and students’ age are related to the number of questions students ask, as well as to their content focus and cognitive demand. The results show that students generated significantly more questions for the choropleth map and that this map was also preferred by most of them. The number of questions generally increased with age/grade level. Older students more often focused on the thematic content of the maps, whereas younger students attended more to visual and representational aspects. Although most questions remained at lower cognitive levels, the dasymetric map and older students were associated with a slightly higher proportion of questions requiring more cognitively demanding processes. The study shows that map type influences not only students’ work with thematic maps but also the character of their questioning.