Identifying the task characteristics that predict children's construction task performance

Abstract

Construction tasks can be linked to achievement in maths and science and form part of school curricula. However, there is little foundation for their use in teaching as there are no apparent methods for assessing difficulty. This empirical research identifies four construction task characteristics that impact on cognition and influence construction task difficulty in children aged 7-8 and 10-11. Further a regression model from previous research with adults predicted children’s construction task performance in the present study. The research provides a method to quantify, predict and control the complexity of construction tasks for future research and to inform teaching.