Children’s Visual-Numerical Reasoning in Partitioning: A Framework Grounded in Gestalt and Scheme Theories

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Investigating the Experiences of Students, Teachers, and Coaches in Early Childhood Mathematics

Abstract

This study examines how children coordinate visual perception and numerical reasoning when partitioning geometric shapes. Drawing from Gestalt theory and constructivist scheme theory, we propose the Visual-Numerical Coordination Framework (VNCF) to describe developmental variation in students’ gaze behavior and partitioning strategies. Using eye-tracking data, we identified three levels of coordination—pre-scheme, participatory, and anticipatory—each reflecting increasingly integrated visual-numerical reasoning. Findings highlight the importance of visual structure in mathematical tasks and suggest new directions for understanding perceptual-numerical integration in early mathematics learning.

Authors

• Maryam Zolfaghari, Kent State University

• Hadi Rahmati, Kent State University

• Karl W. Kosko, Kent State University