Examination of movement skills, geometry and spatial perceptions: Children in the preschool period

Authors

  • Zeynep Kılıç Department of Preschool Education, Faculty of Education, Maltepe University, İstanbul, Turkey
  • Alper Yorulmaz Department of Elementary Education, Faculty of Education, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Muğla, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37134/saecj.vol12.1.8.2023

Keywords:

movement skills, geometry, spatial perception, preschool

Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the movement skills, geometry and spatial perceptions of five-year-old children. The study group consisted of 222 children, 110 girls and 112 boys, who received preschool education in the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year in İstanbul, Türkiye. The correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. The CHAMPS Motor Skills Protocol and the Test for Geometry and Spatial Perceptions were used as data collection instruments. In the data analysis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, t-test, Mann Whitney U test and Spearman Brown test was used. It was seen that the average scores of manipulative skills of the children in the scope of fine motor development were higher than the average scores of locomotor skills in the scope of gross motor development. It was determined that the children got the highest score in the field of "recognition of shapes" for their geometry and spatial perceptions. In addition, it was revealed that girls scored higher than boys in recognizing shape, symmetry, mental appearance of shapes and discovering the properties of shapes, and the areas in which children were most successful in recognizing/distinguishing geometric shapes, without gender differences, while the dimension in which they got the lowest score was symmetry. A low negative correlation was determined between movement skills and geometry and spatial perception. It may be conducting longitudinal studies in which the effect of the relationship between movement skills, geometry and spatial perception on individuals' academic achievement or career choices.

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Published

2023-04-13

How to Cite

Kılıç, Z., & Yorulmaz, A. (2023). Examination of movement skills, geometry and spatial perceptions: Children in the preschool period. Southeast Asia Early Childhood Journal, 12(1), 98–116. https://doi.org/10.37134/saecj.vol12.1.8.2023