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A study on Primary School Children’s Haptic Perception

ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF SRI LANKA6th Annual Research Conference

T.MukunthanDept. of Early Childhood and Primary Education,

Faculty of Education

The Open University of Sri Lanka

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Outline

• Introduction• Research problem• Methodology• Findings and Discussion

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Introduction

PERCEPTION

‘Perception is the knowledge of objects resulting from direct contact with them’.

-Jean Piaget (1948)

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Introduction (Continue..) Haptic perception

• the way a person can gain information about his or her environment through touch.

• It involves skin sensors and receptors in other parts of body like muscles, which recognize sensation such as pressure.

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Introduction (Continue..)

• These work together to send signals to the brain, which interprets them to form a representation of the environment for the person to understand.

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• Psychologist Jean Piaget conducted study about children’s haptic perception.

• He noted that, ‘…with stage II we encounter the beginning of

recognition of eucliden shapes, based on distinction between straight and curved lines, angles different sizes, parallels and especilly on relations between equal or unequal sides of figures…

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Research Problem

• Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory is one of the theories which has tremendously influenced pre-school curriculum worldwide (Case 1993, Dockett, 1995) and Piagetian perspective is very relevant in teaching mathematics in the primary school today (Kamii, 2004)

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The idea of hapitic perceptions also included in the Pre-School and primary mathematics syllbi.

the present study has attempted to identify applicability of children’s haptic presented in his theory to Sri Lankan Context.

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Methodology- SAMPLEage Boys Girls

6 Years 15 15

7 Years 16 16

Total 31 31

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MethodologyInstrument

The similar instrument which Jean Piaget used his experiment used in this study.

Child was placed before a screen behind which it feels objects handed to it.

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• By following this procedure rather than the conventional one of placing objects beneath a table, the experimenter can see the methods of tactile exploration employed, knowledge of which is vital to the study of the results.

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Following objects were given to the child.

(i). Common Objects

(ii). cardboard cut-outs of Geometrical shapes

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Common Objects

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cardboard cut-outs of Geometrical shapes

A. Simple and symmetrical

B. More complex but also symmetrical

C. Asymmetrical but with straight sides

D. a number of purely topological forms

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cardboard cut-outs of Geometrical shapes

(A) Simple and symmetrical

Circle, ellipse, square, rectangle, rhombus, triangle and cross

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(B). More complex but also symmetrical

(B). More complex but also symmetrical

Star, cross of Lorraine, swastika, simple semi circle and semi circle with notches along the chord

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(C) Asymmetrical but with straight sides

trapezoids with various sides

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(D). a number of purely topological forms

irregular surfaces pierced one or two holes, Open or closed rings and two intertwined rings.

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FindingsOBJECTS PERCENTAGES

Common Objects 95%

A. Simple and symmetrical 75%

B. More complex but also symmetrical 67%

C. Asymmetrical but with straight sides 55%

D. a number of purely topological forms48%

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Findings

• Most of the children in 6 can identify the common objects easily

• ,54% of children identify the simple and symmetry geometry shapes,

• 41% those identify More complex but also symmetrical of geometrical shapes and only

• 5% identify Asymmetrical but with straight sides: trapezoids with various sides type geometrical shapes

• nobody could not identify ) a number of purely topological forms.

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Summary

• Introduction• Research problem• Methodology• Findings and Discussion

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THANK YOU