The Relationships Between Linguistic Literacy and Geometric Thinking in 2nd-Graders

Abstract

ABSTRACT The correlation between linguistic literacy and geometric thinking was investigated in this study, which was conducted among 99 native Hebrew-speaking 2nd-graders. Current results suggest a positive correlation between the study measures. Higher linguistic literacy achievement was linked to higher geometric thinking achievement. Significant differences were found in most literacy measures between children with low and medium-high geometric thinking, in favor of the latter group. The findings suggest that students with a lower level of geometric thinking are also at literacy risk, and that the two processes share cognitive aspects. These relationships appear in 2nd grade, a relatively young age, which can be critical for children’s future development in both domains. Identifying children at risk for developing literacy and geometry difficulties can be essential in planning an integrated curriculum that refers to literacy in all its aspects, as a tool to prevent future failure both in geometry and language arts.