Preschoolers may be better than we think, research suggests

How do young children classify objects?

To investigate, Sarah Dufour, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal, conducted a study in which children were given to toy groceries and asked to organize their food on shelves.

Dufour observed how children aged 3-5 years of age analyzed the mathematical manipulations used to develop strategies and classify everyday objects.

To study the underlying classification process, Dufour observed children in two 30-minute sessions and focused on how objects were classified, classified, and grouped.

Classification of theory

“Classification means organizing objects according to one or more criteria,” Dufour explained. “According to the scientific literature, objects can be categorized by sorting, classifying or grouping them. We wanted to see how children actually apply these processes.”

Sorting means placing objects in order. For example, arrange pencils from the lightest to the darkest. Classification means separating objects based on predefined criteria, such as placing pencils in pencils in color alone. Grouping means forming a set based on common characteristics defined by the child themselves.

“For example, a child may notice that the three pencils in a collection are blue.

Actual classification

To capture inferences about children’s behavior, Dufour used a qualitative and interpretive approach. “My goal was to observe how these processes spontaneously emerge and connect and connect without giving strict instructions,” she said.

“That’s why we used toys rather than abstract geometric shapes, for example. We know that children can manipulate basic figures like circles, squares, triangles, etc. at an early age, but we wanted to go further and explore their ideas to understand how to build their classification.”

She used grocery-themed toys that could be categorized in multiple ways, such as small boxes, fruits, and vegetables.

Research shows that children are capable of complex inferences and may even create subgroups within categories.

“This principle of class inclusion reflects high-level thinking,” Dufour said. “However, elementary school students can classify objects, but in many cases it is difficult to explain the approach and the criteria used.”

In her study, Dufour set out to show that children have access to their reasoning when given appropriate support.

“Some children were alternating between grouping and classification,” she reported. “When they noticed a contradiction, they voluntarily adjusted the grouping based on the new attributes.”

Beyond binary

This study showed that young children can go beyond simple binary classifications that divide objects into two categories.

“We think that children often start classification by opposing two groups. Red crayons go to one category and all other groups enter the other category,” Dufour said.

“However, our research shows that we can develop more complex classifications and create several groups based on different criteria.”

These findings open up new pedagogical possibilities and suggest that with appropriate support, children can develop sophisticated mathematical inferences from an early age.

This paper has been published in the Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technical Education.