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Exploring the Relationship Between Parental Involvement, Paper Folding Skills, and Early Spatial Ability: A Mediation
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 21, 2020
Summary
Paper folding skills in preschoolers significantly predict spatial ability (SA). Basic folding skills also mediate the link between parental involvement and SA, highlighting the educational value of this activity.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Spatial Cognition
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Paper folding is a common kindergarten activity in East Asia.
- Its impact on early spatial skills remains under-explored empirically.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive relationship between paper folding skills and spatial ability (SA) in preschoolers.
- To examine the role of basic and advanced folding skills in this relationship.
- To explore the mediating effect of folding skills on parental involvement and SA.
Main Methods:
- 101 preschoolers (mean age 4.54 years) from Hong Kong kindergartens participated.
- Assessed paper folding skills (Basic Folding Skill - BFS, Advanced Folding Skill - AFS) and SA via map-use tasks.
- Collected demographic data and parental involvement in spatial activities.
Main Results:
- Paper folding performance showed a significant age-related increase.
- Child age predicted both BFS and AFS; parental involvement predicted BFS.
- Paper folding skills significantly predicted SA after controlling for confounders.
- BFS mediated the relationship between parental involvement and SA.
Conclusions:
- Paper folding skills are a significant predictor of early spatial ability.
- Basic paper folding skills play a mediating role in the development of SA influenced by parental engagement.
- Findings support the integration of paper folding activities into early childhood education to foster spatial skills.
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