How Do General Upper Secondary School Students Interpret Map Information? Geomedia Literacy and Visual Map Elements in Finland’s Geography Matriculation Examination

Terhi Lehtoranta, Petteri Muukkonen , Terhi Mäntylä

This study examines general upper secondary school students’ geomedia literacy in a high-stakes assessment context by analysing 272 essay answers to a map-related question in Finland’s nationwide geography Matriculation Examination (spring 2020). The task (“Visual elements of a good map”) asked students to identify at least five map elements and justify what each element conveys using a provided source map. Using qualitative content analysis combined with simple frequency counts, we coded (1) which visual elements were named and (2) how students justified their purpose, grouping justifications into four recurring categories: delivering information, helping interpretation, working tools for analysing information, and enhancing map quality. Most students treated map elements primarily as information deliverers and interpretation aids, while fewer described them as tools for measurement, comparison, or inference. Although many answers demonstrated basic competence in naming key elements (e.g., legend, scale bar, symbols, colours, coordinates), recurring misconceptions emerged, especially over-interpreting attributes not supported by the map (e.g., inferring population or vegetation zones) and misunderstanding scale bar use. The findings suggest that geography education should strengthen explicit and sustained teaching of critical map reading, including evidence-based justification, limits of inference, and deliberate practice with scale and symbology in both printed and digital maps.