초등학생들이 생각하는 ‘동네’의 공간적 범위와 모습

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the spatial range and characteristics of a Dongne as perceived by children and the characteristics of meaningful places in their Dongne through a nonfigurative mental map. It also aims to discuss the implications of the results in the elementary geography curriculum. In this study, five students from each grade were selected from the fourth grade to the sixth grade among those who attended the U Elementary School in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do . The students submitted their informed consent and a total of 30 children participated in the study. The children marked places meaningful to them on a blank map and expressed the spatial range of their Dongne. In the process, unstructured interviews with the children were conducted with the children to understand their thoughts and triangulation was performed to analyze the mental map and the interviews. The results of the study are as follows. In terms of humanistic factors, the proportion of places where they spent time with their friends was high. Although meaningful places were more widely distributed among students in the upper grades, there were cases wherein the children could not find places they experienced every day. On average, two expressions were used when the children described their Dongnes. The higher the grade, the higher was the level of territorializing by the children of their Dongne by using geographic features. These findings show that studies on children’s geographical experience should be carried out from their perspective. Understanding of the Dongne, which is a familiar space for children, from their viewpoint will enable application of flexible spatial magnification in various scale class situations. Thus, it is necessary to prevent confusion occurring during geography class among educators in the educational field by conducting research from the viewpoint of children and clearly distinguishing the spatial scale terms used in the curriculum.