Inquiry-based mathematics activities to improve children’s geometric and spatial thinking skills

Year 2022, , 143 - 161, 31.07.2022

Halil İbrahim Korkmaz , Arif Yilmaz

https://doi.org/10.19128/turje.949930

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of inquiry-based indoor and outdoor mathematics activities on pre-school children’s geometric and spatial thinking skills. Thirty-two children between 48 and 66 months old participated in the study. The study employed as a quasi-experimental research model and employed Non-equivalent Control Group Design. The design included one control group and two experimental groups. The control group continued regular curriculum activities while Experimental Group 1 was exposed to inquiry-based mathematics activities in the classroom, and Experimental Group 2 engaged in the same activities but outdoors, along with the regular curriculum activities. The Geometric and Spatial Thinking Skills Test was used as a data collection tool. According to the results of the study, inquiry-based mathematics activities contribute to preschoolers’ geometric and spatial thinking skills. The impact of inquiry-based mathematics activities on experimental groups were similar to each other. Some recommendations for further studies and implementations were made following the results of this study.

Keywords

Geometric thinking skills, Natural outdoors, Pre-school education, Pre-school mathematics education, Spatial thinking skills

Thanks

This study represents an element of the first author's doctoral dissertation entitled “The Effects of Inquiry-Based Activities Implemented in Natural Outdoors on Children’s Geometric and Spatial Thinking Skills”. We are also grateful to Ege University Planning and Monitoring Coordination of Organizational Development and Directorate of Library and Documentation for their support.

Çocuklarının geometrik ve uzamsal düşünme becerilerini geliştirmeye yönelik sorgulama temelli matematik etkinlikleri

Abstract

Bu çalışma, sınıf içerisinde ve açık alanlarda yürütülen sorgulama temelli matematik etkinliklerinin okul öncesi dönemdeki çocukların geometrik ve uzamsal düşünme becerileri üzerindeki etkisini incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Çalışmaya, yaşları 48 ila 66 ay arasında değişen 32 çocuk katılmıştır. Çalışmada Yarı Deneysel desenlerden Eşitlenmemiş Kontrol Gruplu Desen kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada bir kontrol ve iki deney grubu yer almıştır. Kontrol grubu rutin etkinliklerine devam ederken, yürütülen rutin etkinliklere ek olarak Deney Grubu 1’e sınıf içerisinde yürütülen sorgulama temelli matematik etkinlikleri, Deney Grubu 2’ye ise açık alanlarda yürütülen sorgulama temelli matematik etkinlikleri uygulanmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak Geometrik ve Uzamsal Düşünme Becerileri Testi kullanılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın sonuçlarına göre, sorgulama temelli matematik etkinlikleri okul öncesi çocukların geometrik ve uzamsal düşünme becerilerinin gelişimine katkı sağlamaktadır. Sorgulama temelli matematik etkinliklerinin sınıf içerisinde veya açık alanlarda uygulandığı deney grupları üzerindeki etkisi ise birbirine benzer bulunmuştur. Bu çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçların ardından ileri çalışmalar ve uygulamalar için bazı önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

Keywords

Doğal açık alanlar, Geometrik düşünme becerisi, Okul öncesi eğitimi, Okul öncesi matematik eğitimi, Uzamsal düşünme becerisi

References

• Abad, C. (2018). The Development of Early Spatial Thinking (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Florida International University.
• Alberta Learning. (2004). Focus on Inquiry: A Teacher’s Guide to İmplement Inquiry-Based Learning. Learning Resources Centre.
• American Institutes for Research. (2005). Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California. American Institutes for Research.
• Athey, C. (2007). Extending Thought in Young Children: A Parent–Teacher Partnership (2nd ed.). Sage.
• Back to Nature Network. (2012). Into Nature: A Guide to Teaching in Nearby Nature. Back to Nature Network.
• Baptist, P. (2012). Towards Teaching and Learning Inquiry-Based Mathematics. In M. Artigue & P. Baptist (Eds.), Inquiry in Mathematics Education: Background Resources for Implementing Inquiry in Science and Mathematics at School (pp.13-25). The Foundation La main à la pâte
• Bjorge, S., Hannah, T., Rekstad, P., & Pauly, T. (2017). The Behavioral Effects of Learning Outdoors (Unpublished master’s thesis). St. Catherine University
• Brune, M. C. (2010). The inquiry learning model as an approach to mathematics instruction (Unpublished master’s thesis). Boise State University.
• Calder, N., & Brough, C. (2013). Child-centred inquiry learning: How mathematics understanding emerges. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED1025580)
• Casey, B. M., Andrews, N., Schindler, H., Kersh, J. E., Samper, A., & Copley J. (2008). The development of spatial skills through interventions involving block building activities. Cognition and Instruction, 26, 269–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370000802177177
• Casey, B., Erkut, S., Ceder, I., & Young, J. M. (2008). Use of a storytelling context to improve girls' and boys' geometry skills in kindergarten. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 29–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2007.10.005
• Cheryan, S., Ziegler, S. A., Plaut, V. C., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2014). Designing classrooms to maximize student achievement. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1(1), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732214548677
• Cooper, A. (2015). Nature and the Outdoor Learning Environment: The Forgotten Resource in Early Childhood Education. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 3(1), 85–97. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1108430.pdf
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Pearson.
• Dreyøe, J, Larsen, D. M., Hjelmborg, M. D., Michelsen, C., & Misfeldt, M. (2017). Inquiry-based learning in mathematics education: Important themes in the literatüre. In Norén E. Palmér, H. & Cooke, A. (Eds.), Proceedings of The Eighth Nordic Conference on Mathematics Education (pp. 329-341). Swedish Society for Research in Mathematics Education.
• Dunkley, R. A., & Smith, T. A. (2016). Evaluating the outdoor learning experience–a toolkit for practitioners [Research report]. Electronic Leisure Library. https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/475676/Evaluating_The_Outdoor_Learning_Experience_Doc_EMAIL.pdf
• Early Head Start National Resource Center. (2013). Supporting outdoor play and exploration for infants and toddlers. NRC.
• Enerson, P. (2016). Positive Impact of Outdoor Learning in Kindergarten (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Wisconsin.
• Field, A. (2013). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (4th Edition). SAGE.
• Fjørtoft, I. (2001). The natural environment as a playground for children: The impact of outdoor play activities in pre-primary school children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(2), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012576913074
• Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2009). How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Frasinescu, I. (2018). Understanding inquiry, an inquiry into understanding: a conception of Inquiry Based Learning in mathematics (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Concordia University.
• Freudenthal, H. (1986). Didactical phenomenology of mathematical structures. Educational Studies in Mathematics. 16(2), 223-228.
• Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2003). Educational Research: An Introduction (7th ed.). Pearson.
• Henningsen, M. (2013). Making sense of experience in preschool: Children’s encounters with numeracy and literacy through inquiry. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 3(2), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v3i2.39
• Herrington, S. (2005). The sustainable landscape. In M. Dudek (Ed.), Children’s Spaces (pp. 215-244). Architectural Press.
• International Baccalaureate Organization. (2012). The primary years programme: Preparing students to be active participants in a lifelong journey of learning. IBO.
• Jarrett, D. (1997). Inquiry strategies for science and mathematics learning. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
• Jessen, B. (2017). What is Inquiry Based Mathematics Teaching? In C. Winslow (Ed.), Meria Practical Guide to Inquiry Based Mathematics Teaching (pp. 4–16). Project MERIA.
• Jurat, A. (1992). Inquiry Based Mental Mathematics Versus Traditional on the Performance and Attitudes of Year Four Children (Unpublished bachelor of education (Honours) thesis). Edith Cowan University.
• Kandil, S., & Işıksal-Bostan, M. (2019). Effect of inquiry-based instruction enriched with origami activities on achievement, and self-efficacy in geometry. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 50(4), 557-576. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2018.1527407
• Kavouras, M., Kokla, M., Tomai, E., Darra, A., & Pastra, K. (2016). GEOTHNK: a semantic approach to spatial thinking. In Gartner, G, Jobst, M & Huang, H. (Eds.) Progress in cartography (pp. 319-338). Springer.
• Keren, G., Ben-David, A., & Fridin, M. (2012). Kindergarten assistive robotics (KAR) as a tool for spatial cognition development in pre-school education. 2012 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Vilamoura. (pp. 1084–1089). doi: 10.1109/IROS.2012.6385645.
• Khan, A. W. (2012). Inquiry-based teaching in mathematics classroom in a lower secondary school of Karachi, Pakistan. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 1(2), 1–7.
• Kilburn, B. (2015). Come forth into the light of things. Pathways the Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, 27(3), 4–6.
• King, M. J. Katz, D. P., Thompson, L. A., & Macnamara, B. N. (2019). Genetic and environmental influences on spatial reasoning: A meta-analysis of twin studies. Intelligence, 73, 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2019.01.001
• Leikin, R., & Grossman, D. (2013). Teachers modify geometry problems: from proof to investigation. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 82(3), 515-531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-012-9460-4
• Lewis, B. (2009). Inquiry-based instruction in geometry: The impact on end of course geometry test scores (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Walden University.
• MacDonald, K. (2016). Back to the Garten: Inquiry-Based Learning in an Outdoor Kindergarten Classroom (Unpublished Master of Arts Dissertation). Brock University.
• Malau, T. M., Napitupulu, E., E. & Armanto, D. (2017). Improvement Students’ Spatial Ability and Self Confidence Through Inquiry Learning with Geogebra at SMA Negeri 19 Medan. Kreano, Jurnal Matematika Kreatif Inovatif, 8(2), 215-220. http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/kreano.v8i2.9673
• McMillan, M. (2014). Outdoor Play Matters: The Benefits of Outdoor Play for young Children. Barnardos.
• Mensah-Wonkyi, T. & Adu, E. (2016). Effect of the inquiry-based teaching approach on students’ understanding of circle theorems in plane geometry. African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, 12, 61–74.
• Miller, D. L. Tichota, K., & White, J. (2013). Young children's authentic play in a Nature Explore Classroom supports foundational learning: A single case study. [Research report]. Dimensions Educational Research Foundation. https://dimensionsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/youngchildrenauthenticplay.pdf
• Narpila, S. D. (2018). The Application of Inquiry-Based Learning to Improve Students' Spatial Capability in SMA YPK Medan. JPI (Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia), 7(2), 154-160. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpi-undiksha.v7i2.11682
• National Learning Initiative. (2012). Adding value to early childhood outdoor play and learning environments. Natural Learning Initiative. https://naturalearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Top-Ten-Activity-Settings_InfoSheet.pdf
• National Wildlife Federation. (2010). Whole Child: Developing Mind Body and Spirit through Outdoor Play. National Wildlife Federation.
• OFSTED [The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills]. (2008). Learning outside the classroom: How far should you go?. OFSTED.
• Olver, A. L. S. (2013). Investigating early spatial and numerical skills in junior kindergarten children learning in an inquiry- and play-based environment (Unpublished master of arts degree dissertation). University of Toronto.
• Özgece, N., Edgü, E., & Taluğ, M. (2015). Exploring children’s perceptions and experiences of outdoor spaces. In K. Karimi, L. Vaughan, K. Sailer, G. Palaiologou, & T. Bolton (Eds.), Proceedings of the 10th International Space Syntax Symposium (pp. 125:1-125:14). Space Syntax Laboratory.
• Paskins, J. (2005, September 22–23). Investigating the effects of a car culture on a child’s spatial skills [Paper presentation]. Walk21-VI “Everyday Walking Culture”, The 6th International Conference on Walking in the 21st Century, Zurich, Switzerland.
• Patterson, J. T. (2016). A Path to Inquiry-Based Learning in Geometry Courses in US Secondary Schools (Unpublished master thesis). Harvard University.
• Perry, B., Dockett, S., & Harley, E. (2012). The early years learning framework for Australia and the Australian curriculum: Mathematics-linking educators' practice through pedagogical inquiry questions. In Engaging the Australian curriculum mathematics: perspectives from the field (pp. 153-174). Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.
• Play Scotland. (2011). Getting it right for play the power of play: An evidence base. Play Scotland.
• Rankin, C. (2016). Technology-Enhanced Inquiry-Based Learning and the Development of Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Geography in a Post-Primary School Setting (Unpublished Doctoral dissertation).
• Salim, K., & Tiawa, D. H. (2015). Implementation of Structured Inquiry Based Model Learning toward Students' Understanding of Geometry. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 1(1), 75–83.
• Sarmant, J. P., Saltiel, E. & Léna, P. (2011). La main à la pâte’: Implementing a plan for science education reform in France. In, DeBoer, G. E. (Eds.) The Role of Public Policy in K-12 Science Education. Charlotte: IAP.
• Schindler, C. (2002). An Arena to Excel: Inquiry-Learning and Outdoor Education for Students with Special Needs. EXARC.
• Sizemore, R. (2020). Comparing Inquiry-Based and Explicit Instruction in High School Geometry. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Kennesaw State University.
• Skoumpourdi, C. (2019, February). Inquiry-based implementation of a mathematical activity in a kindergarten classroom. In Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME11) (No. 23). Freudenthal Group; Freudenthal Institute; CERME. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02414953/document
• Smith, A. D., Gilchrist, I. D., Cater, K., Ikram, N., Nott, K., & Hood, B. M. (2008). Reorientation in the real world: The development of landmark use and integration in a natural environment. Cognition, 107, 1102–1111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2007.10.008
• Susilawti, W., Suryadi, D., & Dahlan, J. A. (2017). The improvement of mathematical spatial visualization ability of student through cognitive conflict. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 12(2), 155-166.
• Sutterby, J. A., & Frost, J. (2013). Creating play environment for early childhood: Indoors and out. In B. Spodek & O. N. Saracho (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 323–340). Routledge.
• Taylor, J. & Bilbrey, J. (2012). Effectiveness of Inquiry Based and Teacher Directed Instruction in an Alabama Elementary School. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, 8, 1–17.
• Tzuriel, D., & Egozi, G. (2010). Gender differences in spatial ability of young children: the effects of training and processing strategies. Child Development, 81(5), 1417–1430. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01482.x
• Uygun, T. (2020). An inquiry-based design research for teaching geometric transformations by developing mathematical practices in dynamic geometry environment. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 32(3), 523-549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00314-1
• Weakley, K. D. (2010). The effects of an inquiry-based earth science course on the spatial thinking of pre-service elementary teacher education students. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Western Michigan University.
• Wu, S. C., & Lin, F. L. (2016). İnquiry-based mathematics curriculum design for young children-teaching experiment and reflection. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 12(4), 843-860. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1233a