The effectiveness of using interactive digital maps in developing spatial thinking skills and geographical understanding among geography students in basic education colleges

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of using interactive digital maps on developing spatial thinking skills and geographic understanding among students in Geography Departments at Colleges of Basic Education within the Iraqi educational context, where traditional reliance on paper-based instructional materials continues to pose challenges that limit students’ ability to comprehend dynamic spatial relationships. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. The research population consisted of 150 third-year students enrolled in the Geography Department at the College of Basic Education during the 2024–2025 academic year. A stratified random sample of 60 students (40 males and 20 females) was selected and divided equally into two groups: an experimental group (n = 30), which received instruction supported by interactive digital maps, including Google Earth Pro and ArcGIS Online, and a control group (n = 30), which was taught using conventional paper-based methods. The intervention lasted for 12 weeks, with one 90-minute session per week. The research instruments included the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD), consisting of 15 Likert-scale items with an internal consistency coefficient of α = 0.89, to measure spatial thinking skills. In addition, a researcher-developed Geographic Understanding Questionnaire comprising 25 objective items distributed across five dimensions’ map knowledge, practical skills, activity competence, spatial analysis, and geographic application was employed. The questionnaire demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.87) and achieved an expert agreement rate of 92%. Both instruments were administered before and after the intervention using Google Forms.