DOES A DOZEN YEARS CHANGE A THING? ESTONIAN CHILDREN’S DRAWINGS OF EUROPE IN 2000 AND 2012
DOES A DOZEN YEARS CHANGE A THING? ESTONIAN CHILDREN’S DRAWINGS OF EUROPE IN 2000 AND 2012

Summary/Abstract: This study examines aspects of children’s geographical knowledge of Europe in Estonia between the years 2000 and 2012. The participants were 55 5th-graders in year 2000 and 41 5th-graders in year 2012, with the mean age of 12. Participants completed two tasks, (i) drawing a map of Europe and (ii) filling in country names in a contour map of Europe. Participants also had to state which countries they had visited. Though in 2000 children filled the contour map more accurately than in 2012, some countries (Finland, Norway and the UK) were drawn more accurately in 2012 and the drawing and contour map tasks were highly correlated with each other. Although children travelled more in 2012 compared to 2000, travelling experience had very little effect on children’s knowledge of Europe, suggesting that it only plays a marginal role in the formation of place schemas.

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