EAPSI: Investigating the Development of Spatial Skills in South Korean children

Suh Daniel D, Flushing NY

Investigators

Abstract

Children's early spatial skills (i.e., various abilities that involve mentally representing and manipulating objects) relate to later school performance in the math and sciences and entry into STEM careers. Striking cross-national differences exist in children's math and science abilities, with children in South Korea ranking in the top 10 in both subject areas. Already by kindergarten, South Korean children outperform children from various countries on tasks of spatial skill. These findings suggest the Korean advantage in spatial skills, and later math and science, might be rooted in early home experiences. Research is limited and needed on the development of children's spatial skills in nations that rank in the top 10 in math and science. Such research can inform educational practices and policy aiming to promote STEM development in children. Therefore, this project will: 1) examine the spatial skills of South Korean 3- and 4-year olds by developing and adapting new measures and 2) investigate how children's home environments (e.g., spatial toys like blocks and puzzles) and interactions with their parents relate to these skills. The project will be conducted at Seoul National University, the most highly ranked research university in South Korea, in collaboration with Dr. Keumjoo Kwak, who has expertise in how parental practices and home environments affect Korean preschoolers' academic success. South Korean children surpass U.S. children in STEM areas by 7 and 8 years. To date, STEM research on Korean children has focused on early number skills. However, there is a dearth of research on the development of Korean children's spatial skills, which may partially explain South Korean children's aptitude in STEM areas. The first aim is to describe individual differences in spatial skill among South Korean 3- and 4-year olds. The study will extend research to an understudied population, age, and domain of cognitive development foundational to STEM performance: spatial skills of mental translation, rotation, and so on. A second aim is to examine South Korean parents? spatial language and spatial activities with children (e.g., block play) and relate these practices to children's spatial skill. The project will develop and adapt a battery of spatial skill assessments for children; new measures and procedures for assessing parent-child interactions around spatial concepts; and measures of parents' attitudes and beliefs about STEM disciplines (through videorecorded interactions, questionnaires, direct assessments of children). Findings will advance knowledge on the practices that best promote the development of early spatial skills and performance in STEM areas. This award, under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program, supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the National Research Foundation of Korea.