Abstract

Most learners find Geography map work difficult and they perform poorly in Geography as a whole. One wonders whether this is the cause for the learners’ failure or whether there are other factors that contribute to the poor performance in Geography map work at Grade 12 level in the South African schools. In this study( 2003-2005), the factors influencing learner achievement in Grade 12 Geography map work were investigated. The investigation involved 208 research participants from schools in the Mafikeng District. The aim of the study was to find out the factors that contribute to poor and good performance of learners in Geography map work. The survey method was used to collect data. The questionnaires and interview questions for both the educators and learners reflected the learners’ achievement, school problems and how the learners’ performance could be improved. Observation was both participatory and non-participatory. These observations served two purposes: to establish the teaching strategies / methods used in the classroom, and to establish the classroom interaction between educators and learners and their influence on learner achievement. The findings reveal that most learners do not perform well in map work because they lack motivation in doing map work, they lack basic skills to map reading, and finally, they lack basic mathematical skills. The study also revealed the need for re-skilling and retraining for all educators involved in teaching map work in areas of basic skills to map reading and interpretation, basic mathematical skills and the importance of motivation.