Young Children`s Concepts of Length Measurment

• Main Authors: Nai-yun Chang, 張乃云
• Other Authors: Huei-Hsin Hsu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/55803972912869172825

碩士 === 國立臺南大學 === 教育經營與管理研究所 === 95 === The main purpose of this study is to investigate young children’s basic concepts of length and length measurement through making comparisons and selecting and using units of length measurement. The tools for this study are ten self-designed “Problem Solving Activities for Length Measurement” and “Interviews of Length Conservation”. Qualitative data were gathered and analyzed among six elder children from a private kindergarten in Kaoshiung by observation, video-taping and tape-recording with conclusions as follows: First, in view of young children’s basic concepts of length, they pointed out both ends of an object, but most of them believed that length is the distance of the straight line connecting both ends. Second, with regard to the comparisons of length, young children knew five concepts of length measurement concerning direct comparisons and six concepts of length measurement concerning indirect comparisons. Third, with respect to the selection and use of the units of length measurement, young children knew two concepts of length measurement in selecting the units of length measurement, six concepts of length measurement in iterating and comparing length with the units of length measurement, and five concepts of length measurement in recording the results of measuring length. It is also found that children with conservation of length did have some different performance in learning basic concepts of length, comparison of length and the selection and use units of length measurement. Finally, some suggestions for future studies and for kindergarten teachers are also made in this study. Keywords: young children, concepts of length measurement, conservation of length.