University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks Dissertations and Theses @ UNI Student Work 2003 An investigation of the concept of balance in children ages 6–9: Logic and protologic identifiable in making mobiles Seon Chun University of Northern Iowa Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright ©2003 Seon Chun Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd Part of the Elementary Education Commons Recommended Citation Chun, Seon, "An investigation of the concept of balance in children ages 6–9: Logic and protologic identifiable in making mobiles" (2003). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 511. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/511 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses @ UNI by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CONCEPT OF BALANCE IN CHILDREN AGES 6-9 LOGIC AND PROTOLOGIC IDENTIFIABLE IN MAKING MOBILES A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Approved: Q A i <p. Dr. Rheta DeVries, Chair Dr. Gregory Stefanich, Committee Member Dr. Rebecca Edmiaston, Committee Member Dr. Carolyn Hildebrandt, Committee Member Z \ 7 — Dr. Betty ZanX^ommittee Member-^ Seon Chun University of Northern Iowa June 2003 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3094679 UMI UMI Microform 3094679 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Seon Chun 2003 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation is dedicated to all early childhood educators who have passion for children Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I came to America, I received a small wooden display saying “Count your blessings” as a gift. I did not know what it really meant at that moment but during my life in America, so many people and incidents have often made me think of the phrase. I am blessed to have a wonderful advisor, Dr. Rheta DeVries. She took multiple roles - advisor, mentor, teacher, editor, therapist, role-model of a tme researcher, and English teacher - and always made time for me. It was a privilege to study under her. Thank you for accepting me as your student and sharing your expertise. I am blessed to have a great dissertation committee - Dr. Gregory Stefanich, who kept reminding me that I am an educator; Dr. Rebecca Edmiaston, who did not forget to give me encouragement; Dr. Carolyn Hildebrandt, who shared her sharp insight about Piaget’s theory; and Dr. Betty Zan, who willingly spent extra time to read the paper. No one could have had as wonderful a committee than I had. Thank you all for your support and guidance. I am blessed to have a caring family and an endless list of friends. Most of all, I had my dear sister Weon, Dr. Kyung-Woo Lee, Judy Walsten, Dr. Linda Fitzgerald and Gail Hadley who persistently showed their love and prayed for me. Thank you to all other friends who were there for me. I am blessed to have had supportive teachers and children who participated in this study. Without their help, this work could not have been done. Thank you for your enthusiasm. Above all, I would like to thank God for allowing me all the blessings and being with me all the time. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................ 1 Statement of Problem .................................................................................. 2 Limitation ..................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................... 4 The Scientific Explanation of Balance Phenomena ............................... 4 Balance Studies of Piaget and His Colleagues ........................................ 8 Applied Research on Balance ..................................................................... 13 Educational Curricula .................................................................................. 18 Science Curriculum in Early Childhood Education .................. 18 Mobiles in Art .................................................................................. 21 Physical-Knowledge Approach ..................................................... 23 Elementary Science Study .............................................................. 26 Full Option Science System ............................................................ 30 Clinical Interview ........................................................................................ 31 Research Questions ...................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 35 Participants ..................................................................................................... 35 Materials .......................................................................................................... 36 Pretest and Posttest ........................................................................... 36 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PAGE Intervention Activities ...................................................................... 38 Procedures ....................................................................................................... 39 Pretest and Posttest ............................................................................. 39 Intervention Activities ...................................................................... 41 Coding .............................................................................................................. 45 Pretest and Posttest ............................................................................. 45 Intervention Activities ...................................................................... 45 Data analysis ................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS ...................................................................................... 50 Children’s Stages in Predicting Movement of a Balance: Pretest and Posttest .............................................................................................................. 50 Pretest and Posttest Questions Related to Weight and Distance from a Fulcrum .............................................................................................................. 55 Intervention: Making Mobiles ...................................................................... 70 The Levels of Mobiles Children Built ............................................ 72 Reasoning in Making Mobiles ......................................................... 78 Compensation and Reversibility ........................................ 78 Coherence ............................................................................. 83 Coordination ........................................................................ 85 Contradiction ........................................................................ 97 Other Important Findings .................................................................. 98 Cooperative Behavior ......................................................... 98 Frustrated Behavior ........................................................... 99 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PAGE Moment to Think ................................................................ 100 Eureka Experience ................................................................ 100 Learning During Activity ................................................... 101 Progress of Logical Reasoning in Making Mobiles .................... 101 Lack of Logic ....................................................................... 102 Protologic ............................................................................. 102 Advanced Logic .................................................................. 105 CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION .................. 106 Relation to Other Research ......................................................................... 106 Children’s Progress in Concept of Balance ............................................... 107 Educational Implications ............................................................................... 110 Usefulness of Making Mobiles for Promoting Children’s Knowledge