Abstract

Pictures are often used in the mathematics classroom to depict quantities in problems. Their physical properties can differ by perceptual richness, the degree to which they are visually stimulating, and by concreteness, the degree to which they evoke prior knowledge of real-world contexts. In the present study, I examined the effects of perceptual richness and concreteness of visual representations on children’s ability to learn about inequalities online. Twenty-eight five- to six-year-olds were randomly assigned to one of three visual representation conditions for all presented sets: bland abstract, rich concrete, and rich abstract. Participants number knowledge was tested at the start of the study. They then participated in an interactive lesson about inequalities and engaged in five tasks assessing different conceptual components of inequalities: three learning tasks and two transfer tasks. There was no effect of perceptual richness or concreteness on children’s performance on any of the tasks. Children with greater number knowledge received higher scores on the transfer tasks. Qualitative analysis of participants reading of inequalities revealed three types of readers: Direction readers were able to correctly read the inequalities based on the direction of the inequality symbol. Magnitude readers ignored the direction of the inequality symbol but were able to correctly read the magnitude relationship of the inequality. Incorrect readers failed to learn how to read inequalities. The study’s small sample did not afford the opportunity to investigate whether reader type differed by condition. The study’s limitations and directions for future research are discussed.