Children's Concepts Research Articles

Pupil's Beliefs about the Transformations of Energy in Three Countries (Canada, France and Morocco)

A qualitative research approach was chosen to analyse the conceptions of pupils attending elementary school from Canada (N = 135), France (N = 30) and Morocco (N = 92) between 10 and 12 years of age. Their conceptions were identified while being mobilised on energy transformations during the working of a simple electric circuit made of a battery, a bulb and electric wires: light, thermal, electrical and chemical. With paper and pencil, they completed a questionnaire made up of six questions during a forty-five minute period. The analysis of the data of the experimentation demonstrates that the majority of the conceptions identified are naive compared to those constructed by the scientists. It also shows that their conceptions are similar in spite of the different cultures. The results confirm the findings of the international community of researchers in didactics of sciences regarding the universality of children's conceptions about the working of simple electrical circuits. These findings have implications on teacher training, science teaching and learning in a multiple cultural environment.

What Makes People Sick?: The Drawing Method and Children's Conceptualisation of Health and Illness

IN THIS PAPER, WE DISCUSS the use of the drawing method to examine the perceptions of health and illness among refugee children, their health knowledge and ways they regain their health when ill. In-depth interviewing and drawing methods were employed. Twelve Burmese refugee children, aged between eight and 12 years, took part in the drawing method as well as being interviewed individually. We found that the drawing method is an appropriate method for use in research with refugee children. This method helps to foster the possibility of implementing health education programs targeted at young refugees that aim to ‘fill the gaps’ of their health knowledge. We recommend that it is worthwhile for teachers and researchers in early childhood to use the drawing method for health education/promotion programs and future research with children and other vulnerable participants.

The analysis of young children's number concept development through Knower-level theory and Core-knowledge theory

The analysis of young children's number concept development through Knower-level theory and Core-knowledge theory

The development of children's concepts of invisibility

One of the most striking examples of appearance–reality discrepancy is invisibility—when something has no appearance yet still exists. The issue of invisibility sits at the juncture of two foundational ontological distinctions, that between appearance and reality and that between reality and non-reality. We probed the invisibility concepts of 47 3–7-year-olds using two sets of tasks: (1) an entity task, in which children were queried about the visibility and reality status of a variety of both visible and invisible entities, and (2) two standard appearance–reality tasks. Results showed that children's concepts of visibility and reality status are intertwined, and that an understanding that some entities are impossible to see develops between the ages of 3 and 7.

Children's concepts of the social affordances of a virtual dog and a stuffed dog

Virtual characters are programmed to simulate relationship partners, yet little is known about how children conceptualize the social affordances of these characters, despite their growing presence in children's lives. In two studies (combined N=49), we investigated the extent to which preschool children differentiate the social affordances of a virtual character that simulates social behaviors and those of a stuffed animal of the sort that children often use in pretend play. Children guessed whether a child in a video was referring to a stuffed dog or a virtual dog in a series of statements. The stuffed dog was associated with items rated by adults as relevant to friendship, whereas the virtual dog was associated with items rated as relevant to entertainment. These results suggest that despite their sophisticated programming, virtual characters might not be superior to simple stuffed animals as relationship partners.

Resilience is its own resistance: the place of children in post-conflict settlement

In portrayals of contemporary conflict and post-conflict situations, we most often think of children as victims. This article will consider whether such a widespread portrayal is actually counterproductive, both in terms of the conceptualization of childhood and on the conceptualization of the roles that children might play in the international security system. It argues that an emphasis on rationality constrains the way in which we consider who might have agency in the international system and that there is a place for children as distinct actors in post-conflict settings. It is thus a call too for the greater examination of the emotional processes and resilience present in post-conflict settings, and what such resilience may inspire: love, compassion, community, and a recognized place for children as actors in their own right.

Learning science with dialogical maps

The development of children's concepts is often still studied without taking into account school practices, namely, the verbal and instrumental activities in which these concepts develop. The present research is rooted in a Vygotskian perspective that defines thinking and its dynamics within the semiotic contexts where they take place. The article aims at showing how pupils were guided by their teacher to adopt an inquiry- and argumentative-based approach to learning science. Software developed to support argumentation and learning - an argumentative map called Digalo that provides a visual representation of the discussion - was used in the classroom by teachers and students to learn about astronomy. The data presented here were extracted from a European project (Escalate) which aimed to enhance science learning through argumentation and inquiry activities (Andriessen, Baker & Suthers, 2003; Muller Mirza & Perret-Clermont, 2008; Muller Mirza, Tartas, Perret-Clermont & De Pietro, 2007). Three elementary classes (grades 3, 4 and 5) participated in the study and were led to explain 'why are there seasons?' in the course of different phases of debates guided by the teacher and mediated by argumentative maps. General quantitative results based on the comparison of pre-test and post-test scores showed that the students in grades 4 and 5 improved their knowledge whereas the 3rd grade students did not progress. A more detailed analysis of the different phases of the study was then carried out, focusing on the evolution of children's understanding of the seasons through the analysis of their productions (the structure and argumentative contents of their argumentative maps) and on how the 5th grade teacher scaffolded his students' sessions. The results showed that elementary school students can learn from debate oriented by argumentative maps and guided by the teacher. The roles of argumentative maps and teacher's scaffolding in learning and thinking processes are discussed from a sociocultural perspective.

5-7 Year Old Children's Conceptions of Behaving Artifacts and the Influence of Constructing Their Behavior on the Development of Theory of Mind (ToM) and Theory of Artificial Mind (ToAM)

Nowadays, we are surrounded by artifacts that are capable of adaptive behavior, such as electric pots, boiler timers, automatic doors, and robots. The literature concerning human beings’ conceptions of “traditional” artifacts is vast, however, little is known about our conceptions of behaving artifacts, nor of the influence of the interaction with such artifacts on cognitive development, especially among children. Since these artifacts are provided with an artificial “mind,” it is of interest to assess whether and how children develop a Theory of Artificial Mind (ToAM) which is distinct from their Theory of Mind (ToM). The study examined a new theoretical scheme named ToAM (Theory of Artificial Mind) by means of qualitative and quantitative methodology among twenty four 5-7 year old children from central Israel. It also examined the effects of interacting with behaving artifacts (constructing versus observing the robot’s behavior) using the “RoboGan” interface on children’s development of ToAM and their ToM and looked for conceptions that evolve among children while interacting with behaving artifacts which are indicative of the acquisition of ToAM. In the quantitative analysis it was found that the interaction with behaving artifacts, whether as observers or constructors and for both age groups, brought into awareness children’s ToM as well as influenced their ability to understand that robots can behave independently and based on external and environmental conditions. In the qualitative analysis it was found that participating in the intervention influenced the children’s ToAM for both constructors and for the younger observer. Engaging in building the robot’s behavior influenced the children’s ability to explain several of the robots’ behaviors, their understanding of the robot’s script-based behavior and rule-based behavior and the children’s metacognitive development. The theoretical and practical importance of the study is discussed.

Les parcours de placement et la qualité de vie des enfants de 6 à 11 ans accueillis dans des institutions relevant de la protection de l’enfance

Besides diseases, the concept of quality of life is increasingly used to account for the consequences of other vulnerability situations that may be encountered by individuals, including young children. However, very few studies have examined children's perception of their quality of life in the context of child welfare and protection, and they yielded mixed results. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare the subjective quality of life of children placed in institution with that of children living in their families, by controlling for child sex, age, socioeconomic and familial status, and (2) to examine its relations with their placement course in the child welfare system. The sample of this study was composed of 56 children aged 6 to 11, 28 of which were placed in a child welfare institution. Information about the placement course of institutionalized children was given by their social workers and the quality of life of all participants was assessed with the AUQUEI questionnaire. This self-report, which is based on children's conception of their quality of life, allows assessment of four distinct dimensions in addition to the overall score: leisure, performances, relations and family life, and separation. According to the results, the quality of life of children placed in institutions did not differ from that of children living in their families. However, its perception was closely related to the placement course of institutionalized children in the child welfare system. Whereas maltreated children obtained lower overall and performance scores than their neglected peers, children placed in foster families before institution had a poorer perception of their quality of life in the domains of family life and separations. These results are interpreted in light of attachment research and theory. Indeed, the relations between children's quality of life and their placement course could be explained by their high level of attachment disorganization. Finally, the results of this study suggested that children were well aware of their difficulties and that they can easily be identified by directly assessing the children's quality of life.

Concepts of Children and Childhood in Anthropology and in a Tribal Community of Middle India

Concepts of Children and Childhood in Anthropology and in a Tribal Community of Middle India

Why is it bad to make a mess? Preschoolers’ conceptions of pragmatic norms

A common type of transgression in early childhood involves creating inconvenience, for instance by spilling, playing with breakable objects, or otherwise interfering with others’ activities. Despite the prevalence of such pragmatic transgressions, little is known about children's conceptions of norms prohibiting these acts. The present study examined whether 3–5-year-olds (N=58) see pragmatic norms as distinct from first-order moral (welfare and rights of others), prudential (welfare of agent), and social conventional norms. Children judged all four types of transgressions to be wrong. Justifications for pragmatic transgressions focused on inconvenience to the transgressor, inconvenience to others, or material disorder. Children rated pragmatic and conventional transgressions as less serious than moral and prudential transgressions. Latent Class Analysis provided further support for the conclusion that preschoolers see pragmatic norms as a category distinct from first-order moral, prudential, and social conventional norms.

The effects of word-learning biases on children's concept of angle.

Despite evidence that young children are sensitive to differences in angle measure, older students frequently struggle to grasp this important mathematical concept. When making judgments about the size of angles, children often rely on erroneous dimensions such as the length of the angles' sides. The present study tested the possibility that this misconception stems from the whole-object word-learning bias by providing a subset of children with a separate label to refer to the whole angle figure. Thirty preschoolers (M = 4.86 years, SD = .53) were tested with a pretest-training-posttest design. At pretest, children showed evidence of the whole-object misconception. After training, children who were given a novel-word label for the whole object improved significantly more than those trained on the meaning of "angle" alone.

Teachers conceptualizing childhood: conversations around fictional childhood texts

This article offers a unique perspective on teacher thinking by connecting the study of early childhood teachers’ beliefs with the field of childhood studies, and with film and literature studies. The purpose of the research is to examine (a) how films can be used to evoke responses in teachers about their implicit beliefs in childhood and (b) the processes through which the teachers generate conceptualizations of childhood. Focus group discussions following viewings of short film clips were conducted with five experienced teachers. Thematic analysis suggests that the selection of film narratives influences the patterns of beliefs expressed by the teachers. Conversation analysis reveals that the teachers tended to use both their own memories of childhood and their identification with children to cross boundary spaces in time (past, present, and future), and between adulthood and childhood. The teachers tended to shape their beliefs in dichotomous renderings as oppositions to others, but also to display a playful willingness to surrender themselves to interior spaces of boundary crossings, and to share and dialog their discoveries with others. In terms of implications of the study for teacher education, the use of books and films seemed to provide teachers with tools to discuss and situate their understandings of childhood in ways that involved processes of memory, identification, lived experience, and teacher practice.

Like Teacher, Like Student? Conceptions of Children From Traditional and Constructive Teachers Regarding the Teaching and Learning of String Instruments

While many studies have considered the association between teachers’ and students’ conceptions of teaching and learning and classroom practices, few studies have researched the influence of teachers’ conceptions on students’ conceptions. Our objective was to analyze the influence of music teachers’ conceptions on student ideas regarding teaching and learning. We interviewed 30 children with teachers with traditional conceptions of teaching and learning and 30 with teachers with constructive conceptions. Interviews were conducted after children viewed videos of instrument lessons demonstrating direct, interpretative or constructive teaching and learning. A first quantitative analysis (ANOVA) considered the video choice. A second qualitative analysis (lexicometric analysis) was based on video choice explanations. Results showed that students’ conceptions corresponded to their teachers’ profiles. Student explanations in the constructive group were longer and more elaborate, focusing on learning processes and conditions and student autonomy, whereas the traditional group focused on outcomes and responding to teacher instructions.

Childrens' Conceptions of Nature

This paper describes a study of sixth grade children's conceptions of nature and the environment. In so doing, it asks that environmental educators pay more attention to children's preconceived notions of environment and nature. Should this occur the theory-practice gap in environmental education may be diminished. Learners' concepts of ‘nature’ and the ‘environment’ provide a needed perspective for the development of individually and contextually appropriate teaching and learning strategies in environmental education. Without knowledge of them it is not clear whose version of environment it is which the learner is being educated ‘in’, ‘about’, ‘with’ or ‘for’.

Socio-Ecological Formations of Nature's Others: A Response

The process of researching ‘Children's conceptions of nature’ was spontaneous — a story in itself! Having taught in Victorian primary schools in the 1970s, after 15 years in teacher education in the university sector, I felt it was important to ‘return’ to the classroom — to walk the talk! Each Friday afternoon for an hour or so, I met with Year 6 children to ‘chat’. In the mid-1990s, ‘philosophy for children’ was emerging. My doctoral, completed in the early 1990s, focused on philosophies of education and environmental ethics. We chatted a lot in class — about anything. One puzzled kid asked, ‘Where does space start and finish?’ Another, ‘Are not running spikes a way to enhance sport performance?’

Conceptions of place: approaching space, children and physical activity

In this paper, we argue that place mapping is useful for approaching children's conception of place and that this is of relevance when designing physical activity interventions. We contend that socio-material factors influence children's perception and use of places, and are crucial to understand in relation to their use of local neighbourhoods for physical activity. A place mapping of children's understandings and everyday use of their local neighbourhood in suburban Copenhagen was conducted with a fifth grade elementary school class. The mapping and subsequent analysis resulted in three categories of relevance to children's conceptions of place; located social experiences, experiences of the unknown, and children's contested spaces. We argue that such knowledge can provide useful information in the development and evaluation of activities that promote physical activity in urban spaces.

Proceso de construcción ortográfica de las mayúsculas en Educación Primaria

From the perspective of constructivism, children's learning of spelling is a constructive process involving errors, questions and hypotheses that can be more or less correct. A study was conducted on first and second year primary school children in the province of Toledo (Spain) to assess the different spelling errors related to capitalization. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed on the different kinds of texts prepared in didactic workshops. The results and conclusions should help to better understand the children's concepts of spelling norms, and should help to improve their teaching.

Preschoolers Consider the Recipient's Merit and the Role of Allocator When Distributing Resources

THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE effects of contextual factors embedded in stories on children's conception of the fair allocation of resources. Previous studies on children's concept of distributive justice led to the conclusion that preschool children use only the equality rule to allocate resources among recipients and are unable to use the equity rule to reward effort or task performance. We hypothesised that children's allocation decisions can include an equity rule, depending on the context of resource allocation. Five-year-olds' allocation decisions varied with contextual factors, supporting the view that cognitive development takes place in context. They used the equity rule more in the family context and preferred the equality rule in the school context. Implications for classroom practice are discussed.

Developing embodied cognition: insights from children's concepts and language processing.

Over the past decade, theories of embodied cognition have become increasingly influential with research demonstrating that sensorimotor experiences are involved in cognitive processing; however, this embodied research has primarily focused on adult cognition. The notion that sensorimotor experience is important for acquiring conceptual knowledge is not a novel concept for developmental researchers, and yet theories of embodied cognition often do not fully integrate developmental findings. We propose that in order for an embodied cognition perspective to be refined and advanced as a lifelong theory of cognition, it is important to consider what can be learned from research with children. In this paper, we focus on development of concepts and language processing, and examine the importance of children's embodied experiences for these aspects of cognition in particular. Following this review, we outline what we see as important developmental issues that need to be addressed in order to determine the extent to which language and conceptual knowledge are embodied and to refine theories of embodied cognition.