Soft Corners and Sharp Edges: Exploring Inaccurate Geometric Shapes in Children's Picture Books

Abstract

Given the inaccuracy of children's picture books on shapes published in English, there was a need to analyse Turkish picture books on shapes. In order to carry out the study on the accuracy of Turkish picture books, a rating rubric for English picture books was translated into Turkish. The Traffic Light Rating Rubric rates books as red (explicit inaccuracies), yellow (implicit inaccuracies or missing concepts) and green (correct concepts). As a result of the research, it was found that the findings for the Turkish books were consistent with the previous findings for the English books. In the majority of the books analysed, the geometric shapes were rated as incorrect (red). Given the importance of early mathematical study for long-term success, the Traffic Light Rating Rubric-Turkish Version is intended to provide guidance to book selectors such as librarians, parents and teachers, and ultimately authors and publishers who need to produce texts with the correct form.

Keywords

• Preschool geometry
• early childhood
• early mathematics
• rating rubric
• children

Yumuşak Köşeler ve Keskin Kenarlar: Resimli Çocuk Kitaplarında Hatalı Geometrik Şekiller

Abstract

Şekiller konulu İngilizce resimli çocuk kitaplarında yapılan hataların dikkate alınmasıyla, Türkçe resimli kitaplarının doğruluğunu incelemek için bir ihtiyaç ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu amaçla, İngilizce resimli kitaplar için geliştirilen bir değerlendirme rubriği Türkçe’ye çevrilmiştir. Bu rubrik, şekiller konulu kitapları kırmızı (açık yanlışlar), sarı (örtük yanlışlar veya eksik kavramlar) ve yeşil (doğru kavramlar) olmak üzere üç kategoride derecelendirir. Araştırma sonucunda, Türkçe kitaplar için elde edilen bulguların İngilizce kitaplar için önceki bulgularla uyumlu olduğu belirlenmiştir. Analiz edilen kitapların çoğunda geometrik şekillerin yanlış olduğu (kırmızı kategoride değerlendirildiği) görülmüştür. Erken matematik öğreniminin uzun vadeli başarısı göz önüne alındığında, bu Türkçe versiyonun, kütüphanecilerden ebeveynlere ve öğretmenlere kadar kitap seçicilerine rehberlik etmesi ve yazarlar ile yayıncıların doğru formatta metinler üretmelerine yardımcı olması amaçlanmaktadır.

Keywords

• Okul öncesi geometri
• erken çocukluk
• erken matematik
• derecelendirme rubriği
• resimli çocuk kitapları

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