Geometry and biocultural heritage in early childhood education

Sandra Pérez-Lisboa; Cristian Mejías

doi:10.29333/iejme/18610

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Sandra Pérez-Lisboa ¹ ^* , Cristian Mejías ¹

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¹ Universidad de Playa Ancha de Ciencias de la Educación, CHILE^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the biocultural geometric space in children from two rural schools in the commune of San Felipe, Chile, through a pedagogical approach based on the visualization level of Van Hiele’s theory. The methodology followed a Design-Based Research framework, implementing learning experiences contextualized within the local biocultural heritage. The sample was homogeneous and consisted of 25 preschool children, with participant observation and semi-structured interviews as instruments. The analysis revealed that the children developed skills in spatial orientation and organization and were able to identify 2D and 3D shapes in their surroundings. An initial understanding of attributes such as faces, vertices, and edges was observed. The results confirm that interaction with environmental elements and teacher mediation encourage geometric thinking. It is concluded that biocultural heritage is a powerful educational resource for re-signifying the learning of geometry in early childhood education.

Keywords

Van Hiele
biocultural
heritage education
geometry

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 21, Issue 2, May 2026, Article No: em0884

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18610

Publication date: 26 May 2026

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Article Downloads: 6

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How to cite this article

APA

Pérez-Lisboa, S., & Mejías, C. (2026). Geometry and biocultural heritage in early childhood education. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 21(2), em0884. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18610

Vancouver

Pérez-Lisboa S, Mejías C. Geometry and biocultural heritage in early childhood education. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2026;21(2):em0884. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18610

AMA

Pérez-Lisboa S, Mejías C. Geometry and biocultural heritage in early childhood education. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2026;21(2), em0884. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18610

Chicago

Pérez-Lisboa, Sandra, and Cristian Mejías. "Geometry and biocultural heritage in early childhood education". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2026 21 no. 2 (2026): em0884. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18610

Harvard

Pérez-Lisboa, S., and Mejías, C. (2026). Geometry and biocultural heritage in early childhood education. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 21(2), em0884. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18610

MLA

Pérez-Lisboa, Sandra et al. "Geometry and biocultural heritage in early childhood education". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 21, no. 2, 2026, em0884. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18610