Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the concept development of classificating things by colour and form of the elementary schoolchildren, ages 6-12 years, boys and gorls, rural and urban. The sample consisted of 6-12 year old elementary schoolchildren in Chachoengsao Province during academic year 1977. A totlal were 974 children, 404 boys and 387 girls. The sample was divided into two groups; one was the 409 urban children, 210 boys and 199 girls; the other was the 382 rural children, 194 boys and 188 girls. These children had already passed a color - blind test.The instrument employed in collecting data was a set of eighteen 9" X 13" cards. Each card was pasted with 1 pairs of coloured figures of two similarity geometric forms. One figure was on the upper part of card, and the other two were on the lower part at the same level. The figure on the upper part was a standard one and the rest were used for matching task. One of the matching figures had the same colour with the standard one but differed in form while the other had the same form but differed in coloou. The 18 cards were shown individually to each subject. The subject's tasks was to indicate which of the two matching figures was similar to the standard one.Percentage and Chi-Square Test were used in data analysis and it was found that; the children of lower age tended to classificate things more by colour than form. As these children grew up, they tended to classificate things more by their form than by colour. To be more specific, the 6 year old children classificated things by their colour, but the 8 to 12 year old children classificated things by form. As for the 7 year old children, it was not apparent whether they used form or colour in classificating things. There was no significant difference among children of different sex in classificating things. In this case the girls tended to classificate things more by their form than the boys. There was no significant difference between children of different environment, urban and rural, in classificating things, but the rural children tended to classificate things more by their colour than the urban children. In comparing the result of the study of the two groups, there was no significant difference among boys and girls, urban and rural children, in spite of the fact that the rural children tended to classificate things more by their colour than the urban children.