Evaluating the Efficacy of a Learning Trajectory for Early Shape Composition
Publication Date
4-21-2019
Document Type
Article
Organizational Units
Morgridge College of Education, Teaching and Learning Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction
Keywords
Achievement, Curriculum, Early childhood, Instructional design/development, Learning trajectories, Learning environments, Mathematics education, Two-dimensional shape composition
Abstract
Although basing instruction on learning trajectories (LTs) is often recommended, there is little direct evidence regarding the premise of a LT approach—that instruction should be presented (only) one LT level beyond a child’s present level. We evaluated this hypothesis in the domain of early shape composition. One group of preschoolers, who were at least two levels below the target instructional LT level, received instruction based on an empirically validated LT. The counterfactual (skip-levels) group received an equal amount of instruction focused only on the target level. At posttest, children in the LT condition exhibited significantly greater learning than children in the skip-levels condition, mainly on near-transfer items; no child-level variables were significant moderators. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Publication Statement
Copyright held by author or publisher. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Recommended Citation
Clements, Douglas H, et al. “Evaluating the Efficacy of a Learning Trajectory for Early Shape Composition.” American Educational Research Journal, vol. 56, no. 6, 2019, pp. 2509–2530. doi: 10.3102/0002831219842788.