Development of Spatial Reasoning Skills and Child-Teacher Relational Quality in Low-Income Quebecois Kindergartners

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Many studies show that spatial reasoning contributes significantly to a child's global development. Children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds benefit even further from a strong foundation in spatial reasoning skills than their more privileged peers (Claessens, Duncan and Engel, 2009). A student's educational context must be taken into consideration in order to ensure school readiness (Eckhoff, 2017). Also, teacher-child relationship quality may encourage children to discover, explore and develop greater curiosity and, as a result, promotes the development of spatial reasoning (McGuire, 2010).
This study explores the development of children's spatial reasoning and child-teacher relational variables. The sample included kindergarten-age children from disadvantaged socioeconomic regions in Quebec, Canada. Of the 415 children, 215 were girls, average age of 58.29 months (SD = 4.93) with fifty percent French speakers. Involved in the study were five kindergarten teachers (average experience level of 19.6 years (SD=4.3), with bachelor degrees.) The teachers were observed twice a year during the course of the four year study, with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Pianta and al., 2008) by certified raters. In order to measure the children’s spatial reasoning skills, we used the block design, matrix reasoning, and picture concepts modules from the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence subtest (WPPSI-III).
Multiple level linear regressions significantly predicted each of the WPPSI-III spatial reasoning variables based on child-teacher relationship quality domains (emotional support, classroom organization and instructional support). Block design, F(3,411) = 3.31, p < .002, R2 = 0.28, was positively related to classroom organization, while matrix reasoning, F(3,411) = 5.55, p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.13, and picture concepts, F(3,411) = 5.44, p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.18, were positively related to emotional support and classroom organization domains. A second series of multiple linear regression significantly predicted each of the WPPSI-III spatial reasoning variables based on emotional support predictors (positive and negative climate, teacher sensitivity and regard for student perspective) and show that the block design subtest, F(4,410) = 4.60, p < 0.000, R2=0.02, was positively related to teacher sensitivity. Matrix reasoning F(4,410) = 5.99, p < 0.000, R2=0.09 was positively related to positive climate. For the classroom organization predictors (behavior management, productivity and instructional learning formats), we found that block design, F(3,411) = 4.85, p = 0.003, R2=0.04, matrix reasoning F(4,410) = 5.99, p < 0.000, R2=0.09 and picture concepts F(4,410) = 5.551, p < 0.000, R2=0.02, were positively related to behavior management and that block design, F(3,411) = 4.85, p = 0.003, R2=0.04, was also positively related to instructional learning formats. Finally, with the instructional support predictors (concept development, quality of feedback and language modeling), we found that block design F(3,411) = 9.91, p < 0.000, R2=0.07, was positively related to the quality of feedback and language modeling (see Table 1).
This study supports previous findings, and demonstrates that child-teacher relationship quality is important to the development of spatial reasoning skills in kindergartners of low socioeconomic status.

Authors

• Charlaine St-Jean, Université du Québec à Rimouski
  Presenting Author

• Johanne April, Université du Québec en Outaouais
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nathalie Bigras, L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
  Non-Presenting Author