In a study designed to find out how children conceptualise roads, and the emphasis they place on road safety, four hundred and eleven stories were collected from children between the ages of six and twelve years. The theme of the stories was to tell a man from another planet all about roads so that he would be able to go out alone and travel safely. Analysis of the stories showed that:- 1. In the majority of stories, road safety was only implied. Adequate explanation of exactly what is involved. Was given by very few children. 2. There was a significant difference between the age groups regarding the frequency with which the children mentioned particular nouns and verbs commonly associated with roads and road safety. No such difference was found for adverbs and adjectives. 3. There was a significant difference between the age groups on frequency of mentioning"green cross code". No age difference was found for mention of other road safety terms such as "kerb drill". Explanation of these terms by all ages was limited and to some extent confused.(Author/publisher)
Samenvatting