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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
08:05
Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques
Published on: June 30, 2020
Children's knowledge of the earth: a new methodological and statistical approach
Marthe Straatemeier1, Han L J van der Maas, Brenda R J Jansen
1Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1018 WB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.straatemeier@uva.nl
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|May 20, 2008
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Earth Science Education
Background:
- Debate exists on whether children's early Earth knowledge is coherent or fragmented.
- Understanding children's naive mental models is crucial for effective science education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the coherence of children's naive knowledge about the Earth.
- To differentiate between theory-like and fragmented knowledge structures in children.
Main Methods:
- Two studies with large samples (N=328 and N=381) were conducted.
- A novel paper-and-pencil test, the EARTH (EArth Representation Test for cHildren), was utilized.
- Latent class analyses were performed on EARTH responses to test mental models.
Main Results:
- The study found children's Earth knowledge becomes more consistent with age.
- Results did not support the naive mental models proposed by Vosniadou and Brewer.
- Evidence suggests children's naive Earth knowledge is fragmented rather than theory-like.
Conclusions:
- Children's understanding of Earth concepts is initially fragmented.
- Developmental progression leads to more consistent knowledge structures over time.
- Findings support a fragmented view of early childhood Earth science knowledge.
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