The effect of early engineering education with illustrated children’s books on geometry and spatial perception skills

EROL M., Erol A., Canbeldek Erol M.

Early Years, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/09575146.2025.2556265
  • Dergi Adı: Early Years
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Psycinfo
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Early childhood, early engineering education, early geometry skills, early STEM education
  • Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

In this study, we investigated the effects of early engineering education (EEE) practices on 6 year-old children’s geometry and spatial perception (GSP) skills. We structured the study within the framework of a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and control groups. The study group comprises 32 6 year-old children studying in a city northwest of Türkiye; 17 children were in the control group and 15 in the experimental group. The average age of children was 69 months. Children in the experimental group participated in an eight-week engineering training with illustrated children’s books (ICBs). The study’s data were collected through a geometry and spatial perception test (GSP-T). The GSP-T scores of the experimental group of children who participated in the ICB-based EEE showed a positive change compared to the control group. Our findings show that ICB and engineering integration in early childhood classrooms can support typically developing children’s skills in geometry and spatial perception.