From 3D to 2D: Drawing as documentation and reflection processes by young children

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

The study investigates how kindergarten children’s drawings function as documentation of their constructed work and how they depict detailed features and explain how objects in the world “work.” Children created constructions during free play with a building kit and then generated sketches as functional documentation. Thirty children aged 5–6 produced 39 construction-sketch pairs. Analysis examines drawing characteristics and links between construction features and corresponding drawings, showing that drawing supports documentation, reflection, and technological thinking.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Study purpose and context

Research questions

Theoretical background

Construction kits in the kindergarten

From 3D to 2D: Drawing as documentation and reflection processes by young children Asi Kuperman, Tel Aviv University, Israel Ruthi Aladjem, Tel Aviv University, Israel Osnat Dagan, Beit Berl College, Israel David Mioduser, Tel Aviv University, Israel Abstract The purpose of this study is to gain a deep understanding of kindergarten children’s drawings asa form of documentation of their work, of their ability to notice and depict substantial details, as well as their understanding of how objects in the world “work”. In the study, we examined drawings created by kindergarten children for documenting artefacts they previously constructed. The drawing process demands the cognitive transition from the perception of the 3D object to its 2D drawing. Most theoretical and research work conducted over the years focused on children’s free, intuitive and/or spontaneous drawing. As well, most studies focused on children drawings of given objects, even their copy of drawings of objects, or on free representation of ideas or feelings. In this study, we addressed two aspects that differ from the foci of previous work: (a) children drew an object they have constructed; and (b) the drawing has a functional purpose (i.e., documentation) as part of a design task. The study participants included 30 kindergarten children, aged 5-6. During freeform play, the children produced constructions using a building kit and documented these in drawings. A total of 39 constructions and corresponding drawings were analyzed. Data analysis was conducted to examine the characteristics of children’s drawings, as well as the relationship between the features of the constructions and the corresponding drawings. The insights emerging from the study indicate that drawing can serve as a tool for documentation and reflection by kindergarten children and may support the development of technological thinking. Keywords Documentation, Reflection, Drawing, Sketching, Construction, Kindergarten Children, Technological Thinking Introduction The purpose of this study is to gain a deep understanding of kindergarten children’s drawings asa form of documentation of their work, of their ability to notice and depict substantial details, as well as their understanding of how objects in the world “work”. The study is part of a long-term research program based on the constructionist "Design and Learning" (D&L) model, designed to advance kindergarten children’s design and technological thinking (Mioduser, 2009; Mioduser, Kuperman & Levy, 2012) . The learning program has been implemented in kindergartens for over a decade, coupled with a comprehensive curriculum, a teacher training module as well as a robotic programming environment.“Designing and sketching” is one of the six strands that comprise the curriculum (Dagan, Kuperman & Mioduser, 2012; Aladjem, Kuperman & Mioduser 2020) . A core goal of the learning program is to foster design thinking-an iterative process in which designers toggle back and forth between analysis and synthesis and operate in both the concrete and abstract worlds (Beckman & Barry, 2008) . Design thinking involves procedural knowledge (know-how), conceptual knowledge (know-what) and declarative knowledge, as well as metacognitive processes and analysis, synthesis, and evaluation skills (Kimbell et al. 1991; McCormick, 2004; Mioduser & Dagan 2007; Stevenson, 2004; Kimbell & Stables, 2007; Stables, 2020) The focus of the study reported here is a design and documentation activity in which children are first asked to construct an artefact using a building kit (LEGO and LEGO Duplo blocks), and then to document their constructions by generating a detailed sketch. The research questions on which we report in this paper focus on: (a) the concrete properties of the drawings generated by the children for depicting the object they constructed by themselves; and (b) children’s knowledge as reflected in the drawings concerning artifacts’static and

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To understand how kindergarten children’s drawings work as documentation of their constructions, including their ability to notice and depict substantial details and explain how objects function.

How did the researchers collect the drawings and constructions?

Thirty kindergarten children (ages 5–6) built artefacts using a building kit during free play, then documented these constructions by generating detailed sketches. A total of 39 construction-drawing pairs were analyzed.

What research questions guide the analysis of the drawings?

The study asks what types of constructions and corresponding drawings children produced, how accurately drawings depict structural and dynamic properties, what perspectives/projections they used, and whether the constructions can be replicated from the drawings.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk