Abstract
From Piaget’s research down to the most recent work of Carey and Wellman, it has been attempted to describe the development of basic concepts such as living and animal in the child. There have been less frequent attempts to draw from the results of these investigations suitable teachings for correct scientific education at school. The educational system continues to make proposals which clash clearly with the indications of research.
The aim of our research is to bridge the gap between these two needs, as well as to study the development of the concept of living and animal in seven to twelve-year-olds and to draw the necessary educational conclusions. In particular, we have investigated how these concepts are modified at the various ages, between boys and girls and between country dwellers, who have a direct experience of animals, and town dwellers, who do not. The results are on the one hand in agreement with those of international research, adding information concerning the variables sex and direct experience, hitherto relatively uninvestigated; on the other, they provide definite indications as to the succession of contents to offer in a science syllabus, to the advisability of taking into account the considerable difference between boys and girls, and to the need to enhance the role of practical experience of exploring and laboratory work in studying natural science.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Benelli, B. (1989).Lo sviluppo dei concetti nel bambino. Giunti: Firenze.
Bell, B. F. (1981). When is an animal not an animal?Journal of Biological Education, 15, 213–218.
Bell, B. F., & Baker, M. (1982). Towards a scientific concept of «animal».Journal of Biological Education, 16, 197–200.
Caravita, S., Di Giovanni, A., Di Giovanni, I., & Messina, A. (1986). Se i bambini incontrano gli animali veri.La Vita Scolastica 61(7), 29–31.
Caravita, S., Tonucci, F., Consoli, V., Giuliani, G., & Rusca, G. (1989). Investigating pupil’s conceptualization in the biological domain: Structure — function relationships.Learning and Instruction, 2 (pp. 649–670). Oxford: Pergamon Press/Leuven University Press.
Carey, S. (1985).Conceptual change in childhood. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Dolgin, K. G., & Behrend, D. A. (1984). Children’s knowledge about animates and inanimates.Child Development, 55, 1646–1650.
Driver, R. (1983).The pupil as scientist? Open University: Milton Keynes.
Gelman, R., Spelke, E., & Meck, E. (1983). What preschoolers know about animate and inanimate objects. In D. Rogers, J. Sloboda (Eds.),The acquisition of symbolic skills. New York: Plenum.
Keil, F. C. (1979).Semantic and conceptual development: An ontological perspective. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Keil, F. C. (1986). The acquisition of natural kind and artifact terms. In A. Marrar & W. Demopopulos (Eds.),Conceptual Change. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Keil, F. C. (1990).Concept, kinds and cognitive development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Keil, F. C., & Batterman, N. (1984). A characteristic-to defining shift in the development of word meaning.Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 23, 221–236.
Kellert, S. R., & Wester Velt, M. O. (1988).Children’s attitudes, knowledge and behaviors toward animals. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
Inagaki, K. (1990). The effect of raising animals on children’s biological knowledge.British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 8, 119–129.
Laurendau, M., & Pinard, A. (1962).A causal thinking in the child: A genetic and experimental approach. New York: International University Press.
Mintzes, J. J., & Trowbridge, J. E. (1987). Alternative frameworks in animal classification. In J. Novak (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2. Int. Seminar,Misconceptions and educational strategies in science and mathematics, 2 (pp. 338–347). Ithaca: Cornell University.
Ochiai, M. (1989). The role of knowledge in the development of the life concept.Human Development, 32, 72–78.
Osborne, R. J., & Wittrock, M. C. (1985). The generative learning model and its implications for science education.Studies in Science Education, 12, 59–87.
Piaget, J. (1929).The child’s conception of the world. London: Routledge & Kegan.
Pines, A. L., & West, L. H. T. (1986). Conceptual understanding and science learning: An interpretation of research within a sources-of-knowledge framework.Science Education, 70, 583–604.
Pope, M., & Gilbert, J. (1983). Personal experience and the construction of knowledge in science.Science Education, 67, 193–203.
Richards, D. D., & Siegler, R. S. (1984). The effects of task requirements on children’s life judgements.Child Development, 55, 1687–1696.
Richards, D. D., & Siegler, R. S. (1986). Children’s understandings of the attributes of life.Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 42, 1–22.
Rosch, E. (1978). Principles of categorization. In E. Rosch & B.B. Lloyd (Eds.),Cognition and categorization. New York: Erlbaum, Hillsdale.
Stavy, R., & Wax, N. (1989). Children’s conceptions of plants as living things.Human Development, 32, 88–94.
Tonucci, F., & Caravita, S. (1987). Problèmes méthodologiques dans la recherche sur les représentations mentales des enfants d’école primaire sur thémes biologiques et naturalistes. Paper presented at the meeting:Le fonctionnement de l’enfant à l’école. Université de Poitiers. France.
Wellman, H. M. (1990).The child’s theory of mind. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rusca, G., Tonucci, F. Development of the concepts of living and animal in the child. Eur J Psychol Educ 7, 151–176 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03172891
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03172891