What you guys think about the finding of this study:
National Geographic study
Kinda worrying and scary to read stuff like this.
Cheers.
Yin & Yang
OT: Worrying!
What you guys think about the finding of this study:
National Geographic study
Kinda worrying and scary to read stuff like this.
Cheers.
Senior Troll Buster
Not surprising. And I wouldn't lay it all on American youths, most American adults couldn't find it on a map, either, not to mention their a$$ with both hands. For a so-called Western Civilized country Americans are some of the dumbest f*cking people around.
I ought to know. I flunked a bunch of the sh*theads when I was teaching physical science in high school.... I mean, you're talking about people too stupid to remember to bring pencil and paper to school. Of course they can't find Iraq on a map.
K. Mark Hoover
Yin & Yang
Budokan.
It is not just the USA, looks like the level internationally is dropping badly.
Even the European countries faired poorly.
Hated Gepography myself, but we were required to get atleast 75% accuracy on our tests.
And that included Country, population, capital, etc per country.
If you coudln't keep up, out you went to a school for kids with learning probs, or pull your socks up by studying all summer and retaking exams.
Don't meet the grade = no advancement.
Looks like the pass-mark these days has dropped to about 60~65% or lower in most countries.
You would think that with the access to modern technology like the Net and similar it would be reversed.
Cheers.
Last edited by Shadow Dragon; 11-20-2002 at 04:52 PM.
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Most Americans can't find Australia either - but as long as they know the names of all the states in the USA everything will be okay.
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Taoboy, don't joke too much. Aussie kids are getting just as bad.
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its not like any of those nincompoops will ever become the President or anything
"Cyanide is a dangerous chemical. That's why it is a crime to possess it without a peaceful purpose," said U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald.
Yin & Yang
Aaaargh, reaches for the gun to commit suicide.Originally posted by OdderMensch
its not like any of those nincompoops will ever become the President or anything
j/k.
Seeya.
Senior Troll Buster
LOL @ OdderMensch! Yeah, that could never happen...!
K. Mark Hoover
All I wanted was a Pepsi
Iraq probably won't need a spot on a map in a few months.
Your intelligence is surpassed only by your ignorance.
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throagh of peril
Okay, I've got a fairly good idea of where most countries are. Give me a labeled map and I could find them for you in seconds. Give me a map that isn't labeled and I'd probably fall on my face with these teens. It would probably come down to saying it is one of two or one of three. This would be true even with European countries, just when they're small and surrounded by a bunch of other small countries.
It seems odd but I could tell you where Kazachstan is in a heartbeat(it's not a famous country but it's nice and big and has a presence on the map) but might have to say, "I am almost postitive Italy is in this general little area right here."
I'm WAAAAY more familiar with Italy than Kazachstan but locating them on an unlabeled map is an entirely different story.
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throagh of peril
I wasn't thinking. I just looked at a map. I'd have identified that peninsula in a second. Italy was a poor choice. Let me change that to Austria.
He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak. - Montaigne
Junior Member
I went through the english Education system, finished up school last year. I never studied Geography after year 9 (high school in the english system is years 7-13, with major exams being worked towards in years 10/11 (GCSE's) and 12/13 (A-levels)). The English system really asks you to specialise quite early, so by the time your doing A-lvls you only study 3 or 4 subjects of your choosing (they broadened this the year after I started my A-lvls to 5 for the first year, down again to 3 or 4 for your last).
When I was learning Geography I never learnt anything about Country location on maps, popuation, etc. The sylabus was all about what a spit is, what is errosion, what is upshore drift, etc. Most of which I can no longer remember. Looking back it would have been much more useful to have spent my time learning the layout of the globe, as opposed to the reletivly useless information I got.
I don't know how true this is of other education systems but I see it as one of the major reasons people are so poor at finding countries on a map- It simply is not taught anymore. This is compounded by the reletivly narrow nature of the education system I went through, That is anuother topic though.
Last edited by Azure; 11-21-2002 at 09:30 AM.
Member
I think the issue isnt inherently in that they cannot identify these countries on a map, but if they cant even do that, how much do they understand this is a multicultural world?
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Isn't Khazakstan landlocked? I always have a harder time with landlocked countries than coastal ones. Anyway, I'd guess K-stan is somewhere in the area between where Europe turns to Asia and India. You know, around Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and all that, but maybe as far west as Ukraine. Italy is super easy - it's shaped like a dominatrix boot and dangles into the mediterranean.
But yeah, the more alarming fact is that if you ask these kids about the countries in question, they probably wouldn't be able to come up with a fact like, for instance, the worlds largest muslim nation is an archipelago in the Pacific with a huge population - top five in the world for shizzy.
That's Indonesia, for those of you still wondering.
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Senior Member
OMG, is this true? How could someone not know were their country is located. Were they asking 4 year olds these questions?
"• On a world map, Americans could find on average only seven of 16 countries in the quiz. Only 89 percent of the Americans surveyed could find their own country on the map. "
I don't mean to put anyone down, but come on people.
Last edited by Cipher; 11-21-2002 at 10:14 AM.
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