Influence of Communication on a Cooperative Spatial Representation task for Prospective early Childhood Education Teachers

Abstract

This study focuses on analysing the impact of peer communication on the resolution of orientation-related spatial representation tasks in cooperative learning. Research studies have highlighted the need for people to develop spatial thinking correctly to properly perform day-to-day activities. Orientation is an important spatial thinking competence as it is related to spatial location tasks. From an interpretative paradigm, a case study is performed with female early childhood education teachers in training. The results show that communication between equals favours and improves spatial representation skills as long as the communication type has a reflexive and communicative component, but not if the component is purely affective. It is concluded that communication between peers improves the resolution of orientation-related representation tasks if the communication is reflexive and communicative.