Topographical concepts at different levels of education

Topographical concepts at different levels of education Keywords: topographical concepts, teaching topographical concepts, regional geography, mental maps of pupils, quantitative research - survey, qualitative research - structured interviews. The aim of this diploma thesis is a comparison of pupils' knowledge of topographical concepts at various levels of education, specifically in primary schools and corresponding grades in grammar schools in the Karlovy Vary Region. In the first part is presenting a brief excursion into the history of regional geography as a science. The following extensive chapter is dealing with general concepts, topographical concepts and their selection and application for teaching. The practical part of thesis includes my own research as a quantitative research survey among pupils of different types of schools and qualitative research in the form of structured interviews. These interviews were aimed at geography teachers and future teachers qualified to teach geography. Main results of quantitative research were summarized in the set of six aggregated mental maps of pupils from each type of school. In conclusion of thesis there is an evaluation of survey results compared with geography teachers' opinions