SPATIAL CONCEPTS RELATED TO EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

ABSTRACT. This study “Spatial concepts related to expressive language in preschool children” offers a new perspective of the spatial framework theory in preschool children in Romania. The study investigates the language abilities related to spatial concepts following the three major axes: up-down, in frontbehind, left-right correlated with language production/ expressive language. During this research 143 preschool children were testes with three types of tasks: concrete tasks, symbolic representations tasks (spatial concepts were approached through visual representations) and verbal tasks to evaluate their spatial concepts. The results demonstrate the relation between spatial concepts and language development; the way the language develops from concrete object manipulation to verbal production is intermediated by symbolic representations, this way makes the difference between emergent abilities and mastered abilities using spatial reference. This research also underline the acquired stages within the three different spatial axes: up-down (emergent in the age range of 3-4, mastered in the age range of 4-5), in front-behind (mastered from the age range of 4-5 as similar results are obtained in 5-6) and left-right (emergent in the age range of 5-6).

Keywords

• spatial concepts
• expressive language
• preschool children
• preacquisitions
• basic concepts