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Practitioners' perspectives on spatial reasoning in educational practice from birth to 7 years
Kathryn E Bates1, Ashley Y Williams2, Katie A Gilligan-Lee3,4
1Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK.
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|February 22, 2023
Summary
Educational practitioners often engage in spatial reasoning activities but lack confidence in defining it. Accessible resources are needed to improve understanding and implementation of spatial reasoning in early childhood education.
Area of Science:
- Early Childhood Education
- Mathematics Education
- Cognitive Development
Background:
- Growing evidence links spatial reasoning to mathematics development.
- Current practical application of spatial reasoning in early education is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore practitioners' understanding of spatial reasoning.
- To assess the recognition and implementation of spatial activities in practice.
- To identify barriers and opportunities for supporting spatial reasoning.
Main Methods:
- Mixed-methods study combining questionnaires and focus groups.
- Study 1: Questionnaire with 94 educational practitioners (birth to 7 years).
- Study 2: Focus groups with 9 educational practitioners.
Main Results:
- Practitioners utilize various activities supporting spatial reasoning.
- Most practitioners expressed low confidence in their understanding of spatial reasoning.
- A gap exists between practice and theoretical understanding of spatial reasoning.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced understanding of spatial reasoning definition is crucial.
- Accessible resources are needed to support practitioners.
- Opportunities to integrate spatial reasoning into practice require further outlining.
Keywords:
early childhoodmathematicspractitionersspatial reasoningspatial thinkingtranslating researchMore Related Videos
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