Field sketching in the geography curriculum : a study of cognitive and developmental aspects of a key geography skill
Field sketching in the geography curriculum : a study of cognitive and developmental aspects of a key geography skill
This research has its origins in the 1989 National Curriculum Interim Report for Geography in which field sketching is identified as a skill to be assessed at the end of Key Stage 3, when pupils are 14 years of age. The research aims to assess the implications of field sketching becoming a key skill in Key Stage 2, when pupils are aged 8 to 11 years.
Four null hypotheses are constructed relating to the drawing of field sketches with accurate proportions, the ability of pupils to establish the boundaries of the sketch, the importance of practice, and the significance of classroom management style on the development of this skill. Six schools participate in the research with each school providing one class of pupils, each operating under a different management style. The pupils attempt a series of drawing tasks. The Goodenough Draw-a-Man Test is used to give each pupil a baseline score, and this is followed by five field sketching tasks where the stimulus material is the image of buildings displayed upon a screen.
The sketches completed by the pupils are assessed using carefully constructed mark schemes, based upon the scheme used by psychologists when marking the Goodenough Test.
The research finds that pupils in Key Stage 2 have difficulty with the concept of proportion but they are capable of identifying the boundaries of the sketch. Improvements are made with practice but the effectiveness of different classroom management styles could not be assessed due to operational difficulties.
Outcomes of the research include the revisiting of established geographical notions concerning field sketching, the application of knowledge from Psychology and from Art to a skill within a geographical context, a research methodology that has not been employed previously, and the construction of a range of models relating to the teaching and assessment of field sketching. Finally the importance of the skill of field sketching to Geography, to other curriculum areas, and to the general educational development of children in Key Stage 2 is emphasised.
University of Southampton
1997
Bartlett, Keith Ean
(1997)
Field sketching in the geography curriculum : a study of cognitive and developmental aspects of a key geography skill.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This research has its origins in the 1989 National Curriculum Interim Report for Geography in which field sketching is identified as a skill to be assessed at the end of Key Stage 3, when pupils are 14 years of age. The research aims to assess the implications of field sketching becoming a key skill in Key Stage 2, when pupils are aged 8 to 11 years.
Four null hypotheses are constructed relating to the drawing of field sketches with accurate proportions, the ability of pupils to establish the boundaries of the sketch, the importance of practice, and the significance of classroom management style on the development of this skill. Six schools participate in the research with each school providing one class of pupils, each operating under a different management style. The pupils attempt a series of drawing tasks. The Goodenough Draw-a-Man Test is used to give each pupil a baseline score, and this is followed by five field sketching tasks where the stimulus material is the image of buildings displayed upon a screen.
The sketches completed by the pupils are assessed using carefully constructed mark schemes, based upon the scheme used by psychologists when marking the Goodenough Test.
The research finds that pupils in Key Stage 2 have difficulty with the concept of proportion but they are capable of identifying the boundaries of the sketch. Improvements are made with practice but the effectiveness of different classroom management styles could not be assessed due to operational difficulties.
Outcomes of the research include the revisiting of established geographical notions concerning field sketching, the application of knowledge from Psychology and from Art to a skill within a geographical context, a research methodology that has not been employed previously, and the construction of a range of models relating to the teaching and assessment of field sketching. Finally the importance of the skill of field sketching to Geography, to other curriculum areas, and to the general educational development of children in Key Stage 2 is emphasised.
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Published date: 1997
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Local EPrints ID: 463108
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/463108
PURE UUID: bee359ac-51c3-48d4-973d-921f7e7927b5
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 20:44
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 20:44
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Author:
Keith Ean Bartlett
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