EFFECTS OF VISUAL SCANNING AND CLASSIFICATION TRAINING ON PIAGETIAN TASKS
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether instruction in specific aspects of classification tasks, or in systematic visual scanning, would have more facilitating effects on the attainment of classification operations of kindergarteners and second graders.^ The independent variables in this study were: a Classification Training Unit, a Systematic Scanning Training Unit, and Age.^ The dependent variable was achivement on classification tasks as measured by the Classification Test with Subquestions.^ Using a stratified random sampling technique to control for grade and sex, 40 subjects were selected from 73 kindergarteners and 105 second graders enrolled in a public elementary school in an inner-city community of New York City, and assigned to two experimental groups.^ Training conditions for both treatments consisted of six half-hour sessions of individualized instruction designed to meet that treatment's objective, respectively, mastery of either classification skills or systematic scanning.^ The results indicated: (1) For the posttest data, (a) the Classification Group scored significantly higher than the Scanning Group; (b) the 7-8-year-old group scored significantly higher than the 5-6-year-old group; and (c) there was no significant interaction between type of training and age. (2) For the retention test data, (a) there was no significant difference as a function of treatment; (b) the 7-8-year-old group scored significantly higher than the 5-6-year-old group; and (c) there was no significant interaction between type of training and age.^ Correlation matrices were analyzed to determine significant classification-scanning relationships. Those relationships that reached the .05 level of significance for both groups were: (a) class intersection and horizontal scanning, and (b) class inclusion and horizontal scanning.^ The conclusions were: (1) Training in scanning was as effective as direct training in classification for classification performance. (2) Both treatments were similarly effective for subjects at both age levels. (3) The prerequisite skill of scanning was determined as more appropriate because it can be generalized to a larger repertoire of academic tasks. ^
Subject Area
Curriculum development
Recommended Citation
SCHWARTZ, ROSALIE FEINMAN, "EFFECTS OF VISUAL SCANNING AND CLASSIFICATION TRAINING ON PIAGETIAN TASKS" (1983). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8326190.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8326190
