Find It on a Map: Country Location Identification in a University Geography Classroom, 2016–2022

Abstract

Blank paper maps are often used to assess student location knowledge. A total of 502 students enrolled in 12 undergraduate World Geography classes between 2016 and 2022 were initially asked to find some of the following countries on a blank world map: Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela. Comparing student cohorts, results were generally mediocre and consistent over time, yet changes in identification accuracy appear with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and in times of intense US media coverage of a country.

Keywords:

• Locational knowledge
• geography education
• map identification
• COVID-19
• media

Acknowledgments

The author offers sincere thanks to the hundreds of enthusiastic Arkansas Tech University students who voluntarily participated in this study over the years. The students consistently showed genuine enthusiasm for learning more about the world around them.

Disclosure statement

The author reports there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patrick D. Hagge

Patrick D. Hagge is an Associate Professor of Geography at Arkansas Tech University, where he has taught since 2012.