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Abstract

A number (240) of Tanzanian schoolchildren, 60 from each of grades 1, 3, 5, 7, were individually tested on conservation of area, conservation of distance, and the concept of horizontality in the coordinate reference system. Responses were categorized on Piagetian stages of spatial competence and on a pass/fail basis. Results of chi-square anlayses showed that, at nearly all grade levels, the developmental sequence is: conservation of distance, conservation of area, and finally mastery of the concept of horizontality in the coordinate reference system. The stagewise progression was observed, but each stage was achieved at a later age as compared to Piaget's norms. It is argued that the acquisition of these concepts in children is a function of the spatial dimensions involved in each concept, and that environmental factors retard the developmental tempo of spatial concepts among the African children.

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Developmental Order of Spatial Concepts

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