Reversibility Preceding Conservation and Reading Readiness

Summary

First grade boys and girls (N = 81) were assessed for reversibility and conservation on five Piagetian tasks. Reading readiness achievement was measured by the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests: Readiness Skills. Of the 81 children, 19 were conservers (succeeded on all five tasks for both reversibility and conservation); 39 were transitional conservers (attained reversibility but not conservation); and 23 were nonconservers (did not acquire consistent reversibility or conservation). The transitional conservers were found to be indistinguishable from nonconservers on seven reading readiness tasks. Both groups were readily discernible from the conservers on these tasks.