Colour and object categorization among preschool children (3-5+ years) in two localities in Oyo state, Nigeria

Abstract

The study sought to determine the extent to which preschool children (3-5+ Years) in two distinct localities in Oyo State (Nigeria) could identify colours and categorise objects. There was also an interest in finding out if there .was any age, gender and location-group differences in the colour and object categorization. It made use of 320 preschoolers (160 males and 160 females) who were selected from 40 nursery schools through stratified random sampling. Data collection on the relevant variables involved the use of face-to-face interview technique and Cognitive Skill Test (CST) while data analysis involved the use of percentages and t-test statistics. The results show that majority of the preschoolers could identify/all the objects but could not categorise. However, this was not the case for the colours. The results also showed that age of the child and where a school is located determine the extent to which the preschoolers could identify both colour and object. The implications of these findings for practicing teachers and parents of nursery school children are discussed.