The conceptualization of space: development and reference systems

Abstract

Human survival depends largely on communicating to others our conceptualization of space, hence its importance as an object of knowledge and school reflection. Space, as Levinson and Wilkins (2006) point out, has been organized culturally through different types of reference systems and deixis. According to Piaget and Inhelder (1973), the ability to coherently coordinate information in a congruent whole is one of the most important characteristics of the development of knowledge. This paper seeks to analyze how the conceptualization of space develops in childhood and adolescence, and how it is affected by the ability to coordinate information coherently. 60 Mexican children and adolescents were asked to describe a visual scene so another person, following their instructions, could arrange a series of objects in a model. The results indicate that the students interviewed show systematic and significant differences in the conceptualization and description of the space and these are related to the increasing ability to coordinate clues and information. Also, the work illustrates the usefulness of linguistic analysis as a tool to carry out educational research.