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This paper describes the development and testing of a classroom and complementary home-based intervention to build preschoolers’ spatial orientation skills, focusing on exploring implementation feasibility and initial child learning outcomes. Spatial orientation, one type of spatial thinking, involves understanding the relationship between spatial positions, using maps and models to represent and navigate through space, and using spatial vocabulary. Evidence continues to accumulate that gaining spatial skills helps overall mathematics achievement and that learning resources are needed in this field. This mixed-methods study is the third in a series of investigations that leverage a design-based implementation research approach to develop preschool resources to support spatial orientation with both hands-on and technology-based experiences. Through a quasi-experimental comparison study, treatment teachers implemented eight weeks of hands-on activities, read-aloud stories, and digital activities (including an augmented reality app) and a sample of families also engaged in complementary home-based activities. The findings suggest that the resources help teachers feasibly implement spatial lessons, and preschoolers improve their learning of spatial concepts with the use of the classroom and home-based intervention.
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This content will become publicly available on June 30, 2026
Developing and Formatively Testing a Preschool Classroom Intervention using a Design-Based Implementation Approach
This paper presents the development and formative testing of a preschool spatial orientation intervention using a design-based implementation research (DBIR) approach. Over the course of eight weeks in both classroom and home settings, spatial language, navigation, and modelling skills are fostered through curriculum that incorporates books, hands-on activities, movement, and digital tools, including an augmented reality (AR) app. Co-design with teachers, user studies, and pilot testing informed iterative revisions to ensure usability, instructional support, and engagement for diverse learners. Findings indicate that the activities fill a curricular gap, promote spatial vocabulary and reasoning, and are generally well received by teachers, parents, and children. While the AR app shows promise for enhancing motivation and collaboration, challenges related to usability and scaffolding remain. This work contributes to early childhood STEM education by providing accessible, developmentally appropriate resources that support spatial thinking, especially for underserved communities, and offers insights into integrating technology effectively in preschool learning environments.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2048883
- PAR ID:
- 10613969
- Publisher / Repository:
- aircc
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International journal of education
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2348-1552
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 65-84
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Early Childhood, Mathematics, Spatial Thinking, Design-Based Research
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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