CONSERVATION OF NUMBER AMONG FOUR- AND FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN: SOME METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Abstract

This study investigates certain methodological issues in current conservation of number assessment procedures. Concern was most particularly directed to the effects on conservation status of the focus and number of questions asked, the presentation of various transformations, and the use of justifications of prior judgments. The subjects were 210 lower- and middleclass preschool- and kindergarten-aged children. The results showed important differences in the number of conservers identified, depending on the conservation question or questions asked and on the number of transformations presented. It was seen that lower-class children are more likely to be inaccurately assessed in terms of conservation status than middleclass children. The results also suggested that further study should be devoted to the realistic use of Ss' justifications. Overall, only 6 per cent of the Ss were actually found to be conservers. The impact of the methodological findings is discussed and evaluated. The concept of conservation, as is now well known, was formulated by Piaget and has been defined as the realization of the principle that a particular dimension of an object may remain invariant under changes in other, irrelevant aspects of the situation. The lack of realization of this