ERIC Number: ED014428
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1966-Nov
Pages: 66
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A STUDY OF HOW A CHILD LEARNS CONCEPTS ABOUT CHARACTERISTICS OF LIQUID MATERIALS. FINAL REPORT.
ENGELMANN, SIEGFRIED; GALLAGHER, JAMES J.
THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE PIAGET CONCEPT OF CONSERVATION WITH REGARD TO THE CHILD'S CONCEPT OF THE PROPERTY OF LIQUIDS. AN INVESTIGATOR-CONSTRUCTED CONSERVATION INVENTORY WAS GIVEN TO 45 KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE PUPILS SELECTED FROM THE PRAIRIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, URBANA, ILLINOIS, TO PROVIDE AN INDEX OF THE CHILD'S UNDERSTANDING OF CONSERVATION. THIS INVENTORY EMPLOYED TASKS USING SOLID OBJECTS, VERBAL PREDICTION OF LIQUID BEHAVIOR, COMPENSATION PROBLEMS, AND THE MANIPULATION AND PREDICTION OF LIQUID TRANSFER. EACH CHILD WAS GIVEN THE PEABODY PICTURE VOCABULARY TEST (PPVT) IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH MENTAL COMPETENCE AND LEVEL. THIRTY CHILDREN WERE IDENTIFIED AS NONCONSERVERS AS A RESULT OF THE PRETESTS AND DIVIDED INTO 15 PAIRS MATCHED ON MENTAL AGE SCORES AND ON THE PPVT. THE 15 EXPERIMENTAL CHILDREN WERE GIVEN FIVE DAYS OF TRAINING SESSIONS OF 15 TO 20 MINUTES PER DAY FOCUSING ON ESTABLISHING IN THE CHILD THE IDEAS OF (1) CONCEPTUAL INDEPENDENCE, AND (2) COMPENSATION. THE TRAINING WAS DONE IN SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTIONAL SESSIONS WITH THE EMPHASIS ON OBSERVATION BUT NOT ON ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. THE CONSERVATION INVENTORY AND THE PPVT WERE ALSO USED AS A POST-TEST. THE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA INDICATED (1) A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ON THE CONSERVATION INVENTORY BY THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, AND (2) NO CHANGES ON THE PPVT. THE EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION IS THAT THOSE PROPERTIES OF LIQUIDS THAT HAVE BEEN ASSUMED TO STAND FOR CONSERVATION CAN BE TAUGHT THROUGH INSTRUCTION. APPENDIXES INCLUDE (1) THE BASIC CONCEPTS TEST, AND (2) SPECIFIC TRAINING TASKS USED. (DS)
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Illinois Univ., Urbana. Inst. of Research for Exceptional Children.
Identifiers - Location: Illinois; Illinois (Urbana)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A