Geographical Names Frequency Map as a Tool for the Assessment of Territorial Representations in Geography Textbooks
Abstract
The aim of the paper is to follow the ideas presented by Hudeček (2004) and to discuss the possibilities of using so called "teaching map", which is a special type of thematic map that depicts only those topographical terms that are used in particular (geographical) schoolbook. With the utilization of teaching and mental maps it is possible to assess schoolbooks and the other didactic media from a geographical perspective.
Mental maps may be used for evaluation of results in regional geography education and for the examination of the role of textbooks in the learning process. Teaching maps are a useful tool for the analysis of the image of particular regions that each schoolbook supports through their presentation and mentioned topographical terms.
On the basis of occurence and frequency of topographical terms the difficulty of teaching texts and the evenness in presentation of geographical space can be analyzed and evaluated. It is also possible to compare teaching maps of schoolbooks from different periods and analyze changes in the interpretation of space.