Transforming Preschoolers’ Spatial Orientation: Leveraging New Technologies for Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms and at Home

空间定向(SO)技能的发展--识别物体在空间中的位置的能力--是数学技能以及后来的学业成功和学术成就的有力预测。然而，尽管有越来越多的证据表明SO技能对儿童的重要性，但它们很少被纳入幼儿园和小学课程。这使儿童处于严重的学习劣势；在入学数学技能方面落后于同龄人的儿童继续这样做的风险很高。因此，在孩子进入正规学校之前培养他们的数学技能，为他们以后的数学学习提供了一个良好的基础。在这个项目中，来自教育发展中心和Digital Promise Global的学习科学家团队以及WGBH教育基金会的公共媒体制片人将开发和研究学龄前数学课程补充。它将利用数字触摸屏平板电脑和增强现实技术，以及其他动手的、适合发展的空间学习活动。这些活动的目的是增加学龄前儿童的SO学习和STEM认同感，特别是对代表性不足和服务不足的群体。该项目将吸引39名教师、50个家庭和大约585-780名学龄前儿童参加SO课堂和家庭SO学习活动。此外，该项目还将生成一款新的增强现实平板应用程序、一份学龄前教室的数字教师指南、一份数字家庭指南，以及一份经过验证的学龄前学生SO评估。这项研究的发现将阐明这种方法在学龄前儿童SO学习中的潜力。这项研究还将增加关于如何设计数字活动以促进学习和知识的文献，该领域可以为其他领域和年龄组利用这些学习和知识。通过这项工作，该团队寻求扩大幼儿、家长和幼儿教师在增强STEM认同感的强大数学和技术学习体验中的参与。该项目将使用基于设计的研究方法来开发和测试空间定向(SO)干预。研究问题集中在4个领域：1)可用性和可理解性：学习活动(课堂和家庭)中的哪些设计元素或支架确保了可用性和可理解性？2)教学支持：哪些教学活动元素或教师和照顾者支架与学龄前儿童成功参与SO活动有关？3)增强现实的潜力：增强现实数字活动的哪些方面提高了学龄前儿童理解SO概念的能力？4)学生学习和STEM认同：与没有经历干预的学生相比，参与这些教学活动是否会导致学龄前儿童增加他们的SO知识和STEM认同感？另外，在家中额外的SO学习经历是否会增加学龄前儿童的SO知识和技能？研究人员将从儿童(评估、观察)、教师(观察、访谈和调查)和顾问(建议)收集数据。教师访谈数据将通过定性数据分析软件进行分析，学生学习任务数据将进行定量分析。学生和课堂观察数据，以及教师调查，将使用定量和定性软件进行分析。除了基于研究的文件外，该项目还将生成一份学习蓝图和一份推测图，以告知开发团队。为确保项目活动的持续质量，外部形成性和总结性评价将力求记录项目遵守拟议的研发计划的情况、在制定和实施技术注入干预措施方面取得的成功和面临的挑战，以及知识对实地的贡献。该项目由学生和教师创新技术体验计划(ITEST)资助，该计划支持建立对实践、计划要素、背景和过程的理解的项目，这些项目有助于提高学生对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)以及信息和通信技术(ICT)职业的知识和兴趣。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The development of spatial orientation (SO) skills – the ability to identify the position of objects in space – is a strong predictor of math skills and later school success and academic achievement. However, even with the increasing evidence in the importance of SO skills for children, they are rarely included in kindergarten and primary school curriculum. This puts children at a severe learning disadvantage; children who lag behind their peers in school-entry mathematical skills are at high risk to continue to do so. Thus, fostering SO skills before children enter formal schooling provides them with a sound foundation for later mathematical learning. In this project, a team of learning scientists from the Education Development Center and Digital Promise Global, and public media producers from WGBH Educational Foundation, will develop and research a preschool mathematics curriculum supplement. It will leverage digital touch-screen tablets and augmented reality technologies with other hands-on, developmentally appropriate spatial learning activities. These activities are aimed to increase preschoolers’ SO learning and STEM identity, particularly for underrepresented and underserved groups. The project will engage 39 teachers, 50 families, and approximately 585-780 preschool children in SO classroom and family SO learning activities. In addition, the project will generate a new augmented reality tablet app, a digital teachers’ guide for preschool classrooms, a digital family guide, and a validated SO assessment for preschool students. Findings from this study will illuminate the potential for this approach on preschoolers’ SO learning. The study will also add to the literature on how to design digital activities that foster learning and knowledge that the field can capitalize on for other domains and age groups. Through this work, the team seeks to broaden the participation of young children, parents, and preschool teachers in robust math and technology learning experiences that increase STEM identities.The project will use a design-based research approach to develop and test a spatial orientation (SO) intervention. The research questions are focused around 4 areas: 1) Usability and Comprehensibility: What design elements or scaffolds within the learning activities (classroom and home) ensure usability and comprehensibility? 2) Instructional Supports: What instructional activity elements or teacher and caregiver scaffolds are associated with successful engagement in SO activities with preschool children? 3) Potential for Augmented Reality: What aspects of the augmented reality digital activities increase preschoolers’ ability to understand SO concepts? 4) Student Learning and STEM Identity: Does engagement in these instructional activities lead preschool children to increase their SO knowledge and STEM identity over time and in comparison to students who do not experience the intervention? And do additional SO learning experiences at home increase preschoolers’ SO knowledge and skills? Researchers will collect data from children (assessments, observations), teachers (observations, interviews, and surveys), and advisors (recommendations). Data from teachers’ interviews will be analyzed through qualitative data analysis software, and student learning task data will be analyzed quantitatively. Student and classroom observation data, and teacher surveys, will be analyzed with quantitative and qualitative software. In addition to documents based on the research, the project will generate a learning blueprint and a conjecture map to inform the development team. To ensure ongoing quality of the project activities, external formative and summative evaluations will seek to document the project’s adherence to the proposed plans for research and development, successes, and challenges in developing and implementing a technology-infused intervention, and contributions of knowledge to the field. This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.