The development of individuals’ map-reading skill: what research and theory tell us

Map-reading skill is relevant to education and professions in many disciplines. Understanding how individuals develop map-reading skill has useful educational applications for the intentional development of such skill across grade levels. Through an integrative literature review, this study aims to answer the question: How do individuals develop map-reading skill from childhood to adulthood? Fischer’s skill theory informs the coding manual developed to record targeted information from 154 articles, its discussion, and a synthesis. The analysis reveals broad interest in map-related tasks among three main research communities: cartographers, cognitive psychologists, and science education researchers. Most research studies do not focus on the development of map-reading skills and, instead, focus on map-use skills. Performance of one’s map-use skills, such as navigation or wayfinding, is dependent on one’s map-reading skill; however, research on the development of map-reading skill is meager. The dearth of research in this area is linked to the absence of identified skills, tasks, strategies, and processes concerned with map reading. We utilize within-map skills and tasks identified in the reviewed literature and apply inspiration from Fischer’s skill theory to develop a theory of map-reading skill development that unifies otherwise seemingly disparate and unconnected map-related skills addressed in different studies.