Children's ability to recognise and manipulate planar shapes

This study was designed to explore the ability of children in primary grades to recognize and manipulate planar shapes. The broad aims of the project were to explore the nature of the knowledge one needs to recognize planar shape, ascertain how this knowledge is acquired and examine other factors that contribute to a child's ability to recognize planar shapes. To sample children from five to twelve years, subjects were drawn from preschool, together with Grades 1, 3, 5, and 7. To maintain a balance of sex distribution two girls and 2 boys were chosen from each class. The research instrument used for this particular project was the clinical interview. A set of eight tasks, centred around the right-angled trapezium, was presented to each child. Each interview was videotaped and the videotape used to categorize the responses. The tasks were designed to provide insight into how the child perceived the right-angled trapezium and the way this initial perception affected his/her performance on subsequent tasks. The study supported Glaser's (1984) and Ausubel's (1985) belief that the spatial knowledge needed for the recognition of shapes should be well organized and accessible. The research findings also supported the bel~ef of Vinner (1983) and Hershkowitz (1989) that visualization plays an important role in geometric concept attainment. The research however also indicated that a flexible approach to tasks or a willingness to try different ways of solving tasks, affected one's ability to recognize shapes. In summary, the empirical results indicated that a child's approach to a task, a child's perception of a shape, the way one assimilates new spatial knowledge to existing knowledge, the presentation of shapes and the teaching process itself all play a role in affecting a child's ability to recognize planar shapes