A PHENOMENOGRAPHICAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF PREADOLESCENTS USE OF MAPS IN A WAYFINDING EXERCISE IN A SUBURBAN ENVIRONMENT

This paper reports the investigative study, which used a phenomenograp hical approach, on how a group of la-year-old students found their way around a designated suburban route by referring to a sequential listi ng of streets along the route and a street directory map of the suburb an area. While the content of this study belongs to map use and wayfin ding experience of the pre-adolescent students, the approach used is p henomenographic in that it identified the qualitatively different ways that the students experienced the suburban environment. The students' experiences were interpreted using a behaviourial matrix of their act ions while they traversed the route. Qualitative variations in their a pproaches to wayfinding using maps were obtained from interviews which were conducted immediately after the students completed their route n avigation. Four qualitatively different approaches were determined fro m their reflections of their own wayfinding behaviours. They are the r estricted and neophytic approach; careful and sequential approach; ded uctive and familiarized approach; and the visualized and co-ordinated spatial approach. These approaches reflect the different behaviours an d abilities of the students to: plan their route using a street direct ory map; plan the route street by street or a number of streets at a t ime; use street signs and other landmarks during the actual task; util ize local knowledge of the route; maintain their orientation; visualiz e spatial patterns; and use the scale on the map to help planning.