Pupils’ representations of rivers on 2D and 3D maps

In this research we investigate the conceptions of 11 year old pupils about the flow of a river from its sources to the sea. 2D and 3D small scale maps were used from 287 pupils from 15 different schools situated in urban and rural environments from mountainous, plain and coastal areas of Greece. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether 3D maps contribute to a better understanding of a fluvial system on the physical landscape, to identify stereotypical imagery about the direction of the river flow, and to identify the type of map that will help children visualize and better understand features of the natural environment. Pupils completed an individual questionnaire with closed and open ended questions and designed rivers on 2D and 3D maps. The results were analyzed and categorized into model types according to the direction, the representation of the mouth of the river, the consistency of the river flow with the physical landscape, the types of lines used to draw the river's flow. A number of misconceptions are discussed. While the correct drawings on 2D maps surpass those on 3D maps, there is higher percentage of pupils drawing straight line river flow on 2D than on 3D maps suggesting that they cannot interpret the physical landscape through the map. Over two thirds of the pupils chose the 3D maps as more helpful to complete the task.