In the master’s thesis, we analysed and compared drawings of the route to school made by Angolan and Slovenian fourth-grade pupils; pupils from two very different countries. Angola and Slovenia differ in their natural, social and living conditions, which significantly shape children’s everyday lives. Despite these differences, the route to school is a universal and personal experience that connects pupils regardless of country or continent – arriving at school represents a shared, everyday event for all children. The purpose of the master’s thesis was to examine how Angolan and Slovenian fourth-grade pupils represent their route to school through drawing. In the empirical part, we compare the drawn elements of the route, the differences and similarities in the drawing of built and non-built elements, the representation of the pupils themselves, the mode of travelling to school, and the assessment of the duration and interestingness of the route. We observed differences and similarities in drawings of the route to school made by fourth-grade pupils from Angola and Slovenia, from urban and rural environments. The first part of the research was carried out in two Angolan primary schools, where 85 pupils participated, while the second part was carried out in four Slovenian primary schools, where 85 pupils also participated. Altogether, 170 fourth-grade pupils were included in the research. The pupils drew their route to school on a six-part sheet of paper and answered three questions on the back, related to the mode of travelling to school, the duration of the route and how interesting they found it. We reviewed the drawings and classified the elements into categories. In total, the pupils drew 4164 elements, with the number of drawn elements being almost the same among Angolan and Slovenian fourth-grade pupils. Angolan pupils drew 2078 elements, while Slovenian fourth-grade pupils drew 2086 elements. Therefore, the differences were not reflected in the quantity of the drawn elements, but mainly in their content. Angolan fourth-grade pupils more frequently represented non-built elements, such as plants and animals, while Slovenian fourth-grade pupils more frequently represented built elements, such as means of transport and road elements. In both groups, home, school, houses and paths were often drawn. We found that the environment is reflected in the representation of the route to school among Angolan and Slovenian fourth-grade pupils. Angolan fourth-grade pupils most often came to school on foot, their route was on average longer and more connected with non-built elements, and the pupils assessed the route as very interesting. Slovenian fourth-grade pupils more often came to school by car or other means of transport, their route was shorter and connected with built elements, and the pupils assessed the route as moderately interesting to interesting. The research showed that a drawing of the route to school is not only a representation of a physical route, but also a reflection of the child’s experience of space, perception and selective attention. The route to school thus appeared as a shared experience of pupils from both countries, but its content is strongly connected with the environment in which the pupils live.
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