Researching Coordinate Systems Using Genetic Epistemology Constructs

In this chapter, I discuss how Piaget’s genetic epistemology and related constructs have guided my work with students’ coordinate systems. Specifically, I summarize Piaget and colleagues’ distinctions in children’s organization of space and discuss how those distinctions have helped my formulation of essential constructs and have guided task design. I also explain Piaget’s notion of logical multiplication of measurements and how that, coupled with units coordination, formed a guiding hypothesis of my work. These discussions are intended to illustrate how I have used Piaget’s genetic epistemology and related constructs in a way that made sense to me and in ways that worked in achieving my research goals.