Beyond accuracy: Examining strategy use across different task formats and types in early patterning abstraction

This study aimed to investigate 4-to 6-year-old children's strategies in repeating pattern abstraction across different task formats and types. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used, so qualitative and quantitative data were collected in parallel from 56 participants in two public preschools in Mugla/Turkiye during the Spring 2025 semester. Data collection instruments were the Repeating Patterning Abstraction Task (RPAT) and the Corsi Block Tapping task. RPAT was developed in three different model patterns: vertical, horizontal, and hiding, as well as two different formats: multiple choice and drag and drop. Hybrid thematic analysis was used for qualitative analysis, while multiple linear regression and mixed-effect logistic regression were performed for the quantitative part. Results showed that there are five strategy categories similar to the Lüken and Sauzet's (2021) findings, but the indicators of the strategies had differences. Findings revealed that children's RPAT strategy scores were quadratically related to RPAT scores. Also, RPAT strategy scores, age, and Corsi Forward explained 76% of the variance in RPAT scores. Children's use of relational strategies did not vary across different models and formats; however, sequence awareness and comparison strategies were significantly more prevalent in the horizontal model. These findings suggest that the spatial alignment plays an important role in children's strategy use. Thus, educators and researchers should consider spatial features when designing the early repeating pattern abstraction tasks.