An investigation into children's geographical perceptions of the wider world at nursery and Key Stage One

This study attempts to investigate the extent of children's geographical knowledge about the wider world. It also seeks to fmd out whether the resulting perceptions that children hold appear to be constrained in any way by developmental milestones and maturity. Also whether or not there are indications that the current levels of media exposure have
any influence on children's wider world place perceptions. The researcher was a teacher in the school where the study was conducted. The school was situated within the commuter belt north of London. The school's social catchment area was predominantly white and middle-class. The subjects of the study came in two groups. The first group comprised three girls and three boys aged four years and coming too the end of their nursery year. The second group comprised three girls and three boys aged seven coming to the end of Key Stage One. A mix of ability was represented across each group.
A case study was the chosen method of investigation providing some flexibility within what was otherwise a structured framework. Two research instruments were used. First a draw-and-write technique where the children drew a picture according to an instruction and then discussed it individually with the researcher. Secondly a photograph was
presented to each group and discussed. Two places were investigated using both research instruments. These were merely referred to as a 'hot' place and a 'cold' place. All
discussions were recorded, transcribed and the results analysed. The results were considered in conjunction with theories of child development and theories of how children make geographical sense of the world.
The findings suggest that traditional theories of child development can no longer be universally applied. Also that there are very strong associations between people and their
interactions with a place and the degree of place knowledge gained. Finally the study suggests that the new technologies of the past few decades have yet to develop into meaningful and appropriate tools for developing wider world place knowledge.