Mental Models of School for Preschool Children

Yıl 2013, , 97 - 105, 15.04.2013

A. Oguzhan Kildan Mehmet Altan Kurnaz , Berat Ahi

https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.2.2.97

Öz

The aim of this study was to determine mental models of 334 pre-school children concerning school. Children in the city center of Kastamonu in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey were included. Content analysis was conducted on pictures drawn by the children, and the models were split into two groups, scientific and nonscientific. The scientific group was split into three types; the nonscientific group, into four. About 40% of the children had a scientificbased school perception, while 60% were nonscientific. No significant difference was found between the mental models of females and males. Few studies have investigated mental models, so this study fills a gap, but further studies would aid the understanding of the relevant pedagogic architecture.

Anahtar Kelimeler

mental model, pre-school child, drawing picture, school

Kaynakça

• Aksoy, P., & Baran, G. (2010). 60-72 aylik cocuklarin okula iliskin algilarinin resim yoluyla incelenmesi [Analysis of perceptions of 60-72 months children regarding school]. Paper presented at the International Conference on New Trends in Education and Their Implication, Antalya, Turkey.
• Alerby, E. (2000). A way of visualizing children’s and young people’s thoughts about the environment: A study of drawings. Environmental Education Research, 6(3), 206-222.
• Berk, L.E. (2009). Child development (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
• Borges, A. T., & Gilbert, J. K. (1999). Mental models of electricity. International Journal of Science Education, 21(1), 95-117.
• Bower, G. H., & Morrow, D. G. (1990). Mental models in narrative comprehension. Science, 247, 44-48.
• Brown, J. (2012). Citizens fit for the 21st century? The role of school design in facilitating citizenship and self-governance in young people. Education, Citizenship, and Social Justice, 7(1), 19-31.
• Coates, E. (2002). ‘I forgot the sky’: Children’s stories contained within their drawings. International Journal of Early Years Education, 10(1), 21-35.
• DNEK. (2011). Kastamonu Ili Egitim Istatistikleri [Education Statistics of Kastamonu], retrieved from http://kastamonu.meb.gov.tr/.
• Durán-Narucki, V. (2008). School building condition, school attendance, and academic achievement in New York city public schools: A mediation model. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28, 278-286.
• Durkheim, E. (1972). Selected Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Einarsdottir, J., Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2009). Making meaning: Children’s perspectives expressed through drawings. Early Child Development and Care, 179(2), 217-232.
• Escolano, A. (2003). The school in the city: School architecture as discourse and as text. Paedagogica Historica, 39(1), 53-64.
• Fleer, M. (2002). Curriculum compartmentalization?: A futures perspective on environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 8(2), 137-154.
• Gislason, N. (2009). Mapping school design: A qualitative study of the relations among facilities design, curriculum delivery, and school climate. Journal of Environmental Education, 40(4), 17-33.
• Gislason, N. (2010). Architectural design and the learning environment: A framework for school design research. Learning Environments Research, 13(2), 127-145.
• Greca, I. M., & Moreira, M. A. (2000). Mental models, conceptual models, and modeling. International Journal of Science Education, 22(1), 1-11.
• Green, D., & Turrell, P. (2004). School building investment and impact on pupil performance. Facilities, 23(5/6), 253-261.
• Gur, S. O. (1993a). Ilkokul ogrencilerinin okul cevrelerini bilissel olarak degerlendirmelerinin tasarimdaki yorumu [Elementary school students' assessments of cognitive design review environment design review]. Paper presented at the III. Yapi /Yasam Uluslar arasi Kongresi, Bursa.
• Gur, S. O. (1993b). Cocuklarin planlama ve tasarlama kararlarina katilimi [Children's participation in planning and design decisions]. Paper presented at the 21.yy Dogru Egitim Yapilari Sempozyumu, Istanbul.
• Gur, S. O., & Zorlu, T. (2002). Cocuk mekanlari [Child venues]. Istanbul: Yapi-endustri merkezi yayinlari.
• Harrison, A. G., & Treagust, D. F. (1996). Secondary students’ mental models of atoms and molecules: Implications for teaching chemistry. Science Education, 80(5), 509-534.
• Hestenes, D. (2006). Notes for a modeling theory of science, cognition and instruction. In E. van den Berg, T. Ellermeijer, & O. Slooten (Eds.), Proceedings GIREP Conference 2006: Modelling in Physics and Physics Education, 34-65.
• Hine, J. (2009). The provision of home to school transport in Northern Ireland. Research in Transportation Economics, 25, 29-38.
• Hoy, W. K., & Miskel, C. G. (2005). Educational administration: Theory, research and practice (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
• Kastamonu Milli Egitim Mudurlugu. (2011). Sayisal veriler. Kastamonu: Milli Egitim Yayinlari.
• Kildan, A.O. (2012). A study on developing a quality scale for preschool education institutions based on parents’ views. Energy Education Science and Technology, Part B, 4(4), 2377-2382.
• Kumar, R., O’Malley, P. M., & Johnston, L. D. (2008). Association between physical environment of secondary schools and student problem behavior. Environment and Behavior, 40(4), 455–486.
• Kurnaz, M. A. (2011). Enerji Konusunda Model Tabanli Ogrenme Yaklasimina Gore Tasarlanan Ogrenme Ortamlarinin Zihinsel Model Gelisimine Etkisi [The Effect of Learning Environments Based on Model-Based Learning Approach to Mental Model Development about Energy Subject]. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Karadeniz Teknik University, Trabzon, Turkiye.
• Kurnaz, M. A., & Degermenci, A. (2012). Mental models of 7th grade students on sun, Earth and moon. Elementary Education Online, 11(1), 137-150.
• Larouche, R., Lloyd, M., Knight, E., & Tremblay, M. S. (2011). Relationship between active school transport and body mass index in grades 4 to 6 children. Pediatric Exercise Science, 23, 322-330.
• Leiringer, R., & Cardellino, P. (2011). Schools for the twenty-first century: School design and educational transformation. British Educational Research Journal, 37(6), 915-934.
• Leonard, M. (2006). Children’s drawings as a methodological tool: reflections on the develop plus system in Northern Ireland. Irish Journal of Sociology, 15(2), 52-66.
• Lin, J. W., & Chiu, M. H. (2010). The mismatch between students’ mental models of acids/bases and their sources and their teacher’s anticipations thereof. International Journal of Science Education, 32(12), 1617-1646.
• Miller, D. L. (2007). The seeds of learning: Young children develop important skills through their gardening activities at a midwestern early education program. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 6(1), 49-66.
• Nersessian, N. J. (1992). How do scientists think? Capturing the dynamics of conceptual change in science. In R. N. Giere (Ed.), Cognitive models of science (pp. 3-44). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
• Ozsoy, S. (2012). Investigating elementary school students' perceptions about environment through their drawings. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(2), 1117-1139.
• Piperno, F., Di Biassi, S., & Levi, G. (2007). Evaluation of family drawings of physically and sexually abused children. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 16(6), 389-397.
• Rapp, D. (2005). Mental models: Theoretical issues for visualizations in science education. In J. Gilbert (Ed.), Visualization in science education (pp. 43-60). Netherlands: Springer.
• Rieh, S. Y., Kim, J. K., & Yu, W. S. (2011). User participation: A new approach to school design in Korea. CELE Exchange, No. 2011/4.
• Saban, A. (2008). Metaphors about school. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 55, 459-496.
• Tanner, C. K. (2000). The influence of school architecture on academic achievement. Journal of Educational Administration, 38(4), 309-330.
• Uysal, F. (2006). A study on indoor and outdoor space organizations at preschool education centers, regarding the education theories (Unpublished master's thesis). Gazi University Institute of Natural Sciences, Ankara, Turkey.
• Vosniadou, S. (1994). Capturing and modeling the process of conceptual change. Learning and Instruction, 4, 45-69.
• Weber, M. (1964). The theory of social and economic organization. (A. M. Henderson and T. Parsons, Trans.). New York: The Free Press.
• Wiersma, W., & Jurs, S. G. (2005). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Wong, B. Y., Faulkner, G., Buliung, R., & Irving, H. (2011). Mode shifting in school travel mode: Examining the prevalence and correlates of active school transport in Ontario, Canada. BMC Public Health, 11, 618.
• Woolner, P. (2011). Creating individualized optimal learning environments through participatory design. Educational and Child Psychology, 28(1), 9-19.
• Yildiz, S. A. (2012). A qualitative analysis of school concept on primary school students. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(2), 626-626.
• Zoldsova, K., & Prokop, P. (2006). Education in the field influences children’s ideas and interest toward science. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 15(3), 304-313.