Mental Models of School for Preschool Children

• Main Authors: A. Oguzhan Kildan, Mehmet Altan Kurnaz*, Berat Ahi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: RU Publications 2013-04-01
• Series: European Journal of Educational Research
• Subjects: Mental model; pre-school child; drawing picture; school
• Online Access: http://eu-jer.com/http://www.eu-jer.com/EU-JER_2_2_97_Kildan_Etal.pdf

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.