Abad, C. , Odean, R. , Costales, A. , Barriga, T. & Pruden, S. M.
Florida International University
Pre-kindergartners' spatial skills are predicted by the amount of spatial language (e.g., ''big'', ''circle'', ''curvy'') they hear from their primary caregivers across their first four years (Pruden, Levine & Huttenlocher, 2011). The amount of spatial language these primary caregivers produce varies according to child sex, with boys hearing more spatial language than girls and boys producing more spatial language than girls (Pruden & Levine, in preparation). Children, however, spend a considerable amount of time in school settings by age 4. The current study explores the relation between potential sex differences in educators' spatial language use, potential sex differences in children's use of spatial language in the classroom, and children's spatial skills. A sample of 12 pre-kindergarten children (6 boys; 6 girls) wore LENA Digital Language Processors for a total of 4 classroom hours during the 2012-2013 school year. Language samples were coded for spatial language use. Children completed a spatial assessment battery assessing their ability to: (1) rotate shapes and objects (Children's Mental Transformation Task); (2) reconstruct patterns using colored blocks (WPPSI-III's Block Design); (3) make analogies between two pictures depicting spatial information (Spatial Analogies); (4) comprehend words for a variety of spatial concepts (Boehm-3); (5) understand early numeracy (TEMA-3). We hypothesize that the amount of spatial language heard in the classroom will predict children's spatial skills. We predict that boys will hear more spatial language than girls, will produce more spatial language than girls, and will perform significantly better on these spatial tasks than girls. Data collection is ongoing and preliminary data on 6 children will be reported. Findings that reveal differential language input and child performance based on child sex would suggest that girls are at a disadvantage in spatial ability, a skill linked to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) success, before entering kindergarten.