The development of territorial decentration in children : a study of Piaget's spatial stages in relation to the school geography curriculum in the Republic of Kenya
The development of territorial decentration in children : a study of Piaget's spatial stages in relation to the school geography curriculum in the Republic of Kenya
This thesis makes a contribution to the study of the spatial aspects of the development of territorial decentration (DTD) in children through an investigation of Piaget's (1928, 1951) Spatial Stages in relation to curricula in school geography and in geographical education in the Republic of Kenya. The subjects were 270 (135 boys and 135 girls) Kenyan African children, aged 11 to 20 years and drawn from the alternate grades of Primary Standard VI and Secondary Forms I and III of the 7 participating schools. Ninety (90) subjects were selected from each of these 3 different regions: (1) Nairobi (urban), (2) Kiambu (semi-rural), and (3) Narok (remote rural).The tasks administered individually to the subjects were modifiedversions of (1) Stoltman's (1971, 1976) Territorial Decentration Test(TDT); (2) the Three Mountains Co-ordination of Perspectives Test (SCDT); (3) Oltman's (1968) Portable Rod-and-Frame Test (PRFT); and (4) the Class Inclusion Test (CIT), using animals. Of the nine (9) a priori hypotheses, which were tested using Chi-squared, correlation and stepwise regression techniques, seven (7) were rejected and the last two (2) were accepted in their null form (p 5 0.05). The results showed that (1) though Kenyan subjects passed through the same sequence of territorial decentration stages (TDSsJ, or the Piagetian Spatial Stages, as observed amongst Swiss, Scottish, American and Brazilian children, the rates of progress were different. Thus, while the Kenyan subjects attained various TDSst at greater chronological ages than their counterparts in the countries named above, they entered the stages at ages earlier than those predicted in Stoltman's hypothetical model of Age-Stage Fits A, B and C; (2) the DTD improves proportionately with increasing chronological age and school grade; (3) boys and subjects from lower SESP categories are respectively more territorially decentred than girls and subjects from higher SESP categories; (4) while remote rural subjects are the most territorically decentred, followedby those in semi-rural Kiambu, the least decentred subjects are those in the urban Nairobi region; (5) space concept development is crucial in the DTD; and (6) no statistically significant relationships were found between the subjects' DTD and their standing on the FD-FI dimension of psychological differentiation and levels of operational logical class inclusion ability. Finally, the thesis discusses some implications of the findings and suggests recommendations for further related research.
University of Southampton
1981
Lwanga-Lukwago, James
(1981)
The development of territorial decentration in children : a study of Piaget's spatial stages in relation to the school geography curriculum in the Republic of Kenya.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis makes a contribution to the study of the spatial aspects of the development of territorial decentration (DTD) in children through an investigation of Piaget's (1928, 1951) Spatial Stages in relation to curricula in school geography and in geographical education in the Republic of Kenya. The subjects were 270 (135 boys and 135 girls) Kenyan African children, aged 11 to 20 years and drawn from the alternate grades of Primary Standard VI and Secondary Forms I and III of the 7 participating schools. Ninety (90) subjects were selected from each of these 3 different regions: (1) Nairobi (urban), (2) Kiambu (semi-rural), and (3) Narok (remote rural).The tasks administered individually to the subjects were modifiedversions of (1) Stoltman's (1971, 1976) Territorial Decentration Test(TDT); (2) the Three Mountains Co-ordination of Perspectives Test (SCDT); (3) Oltman's (1968) Portable Rod-and-Frame Test (PRFT); and (4) the Class Inclusion Test (CIT), using animals. Of the nine (9) a priori hypotheses, which were tested using Chi-squared, correlation and stepwise regression techniques, seven (7) were rejected and the last two (2) were accepted in their null form (p 5 0.05). The results showed that (1) though Kenyan subjects passed through the same sequence of territorial decentration stages (TDSsJ, or the Piagetian Spatial Stages, as observed amongst Swiss, Scottish, American and Brazilian children, the rates of progress were different. Thus, while the Kenyan subjects attained various TDSst at greater chronological ages than their counterparts in the countries named above, they entered the stages at ages earlier than those predicted in Stoltman's hypothetical model of Age-Stage Fits A, B and C; (2) the DTD improves proportionately with increasing chronological age and school grade; (3) boys and subjects from lower SESP categories are respectively more territorially decentred than girls and subjects from higher SESP categories; (4) while remote rural subjects are the most territorically decentred, followedby those in semi-rural Kiambu, the least decentred subjects are those in the urban Nairobi region; (5) space concept development is crucial in the DTD; and (6) no statistically significant relationships were found between the subjects' DTD and their standing on the FD-FI dimension of psychological differentiation and levels of operational logical class inclusion ability. Finally, the thesis discusses some implications of the findings and suggests recommendations for further related research.
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Published date: 1981
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Local EPrints ID: 459856
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/459856
PURE UUID: e81c76db-25fa-4175-a409-595933b70cb7
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 17:20
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 17:20
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Author:
James Lwanga-Lukwago
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