Pointing behaviors of preschoolers during Logo mastery

Cursor pointing behavior was examined as a conceptual strategy used by preschoolers to guide their microcomputer manipulations. Thirty-eight 4- and 5-year old children, categorized by field independence/field dependence, were trained to an established criterion in Logo and then presented a series of Logo problems with a counterbalanced problem set in using three cursor types (standard triangular turtle cursor, cross-shaped cursor, and circular cursor). It was hypothesized that young children adopted an initial pointing strategy as the first of several developmental stages involved in Logo programming. Subjects were required to solve a sequence of Logo problems occurring equally within the four quadrants of a computer screen (upper-lower, right-left). Data were analyzed for keystrokes, errors, task closure, and task success by field dependence vs. field independence, treatment level, and quadrant