MENTAL MAPS - PRESERVICE TEACHERS AWARENESS OF THE WORLD

The central issue raised in this article relates to teachers' geograph ic literacy. One aspect of geographic literacy is an individual's know ledge of the world map as represented in a sketch map. This study repr esents a preliminary effort to assess the cognitive status of preservi ce social studies teachers' mental maps of the world. Using a Likert S cale to assess the students' sketch maps, a variety of tests were used to analyze the data gathered. In general, all students had problems c onstructing a mental map of the world. The article concludes with sugg estions on ways to improve the mental maps of teachers and students.