Abstract:

Maps are one of the main means to show human, physical and economical features and patterns of a place and to analyse these patterns. Due to this, maps are the second most-commonly-used learning material in geography classes after textbooks. Although being very important in geography and geography teaching, the nature of maps and traditional ideas about cartographic representation are not discussed adequately in Turkish context. In this study, first, the nature of mapping and value-laden nature of maps are examined. Then, opinions of geography teachers about these issues are presented and discussed. The data used in this study is collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty geography teachers. According to the findings, the teachers approach the maps in a traditional way and consider maps as objectives entities that are not value-laden.

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