scholarly journals Domain-specific and domain-general training to improve kindergarten children’s mathematics

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 468-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geetha B. Ramani ◽  
Susanne M. Jaeggi ◽  
Emily N. Daubert ◽  
Martin Buschkuehl
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Numerical Magnitude ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Number Line Estimation ◽  
Numerical Knowledge

Ensuring that kindergarten children have a solid foundation in early numerical knowledge is of critical importance for later mathematical achievement. In this study, we targeted improving the numerical knowledge of kindergarteners (n = 81) from primarily low-income backgrounds using two approaches: one targeting their conceptual knowledge, specifically, their understanding of numerical magnitudes; and the other targeting their underlying cognitive system, specifically, their working memory. Both interventions involved playing game-like activities on tablet computers over the course of several sessions. As predicted, both interventions improved children’s numerical magnitude knowledge as compared to a no-contact control group, suggesting that both domain-specific and domain-general interventions facilitate mathematical learning. Individual differences in effort during the working memory game, but not the number knowledge training game predicted children’s improvements in number line estimation. The results demonstrate the potential of using a rapidly growing technology in early childhood classrooms to promote young children’s numerical knowledge.

scholarly journals Creativity as predictor of mathematical abilities in fourth graders in addition to number sense and working memory

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn H. Kroesbergen ◽  
Eveline M. Schoevers
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Number Sense ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Mathematical Abilities ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Number Line Estimation ◽  
Visual Spatial Working Memory

In this study, it was investigated how domain-specific (number sense) and domain-general (working memory, creativity) factors explain the variance in mathematical abilities in primary school children. A total of 166 children aged 8 to 10 years old participated. Several tests to measure math ability, mathematical creativity, number sense, verbal and visual spatial working memory and creativity were administered. Data were analyzed with a series of correlation and regression analyses. Number sense, working memory and creativity were all found to be important predictors of academic and creative mathematical ability. Furthermore, groups with math learning disabilities (MLD) and mathematical giftedness (MG) were compared to a typically developing (TD) group. The results show that the MLD group scored lower on number line estimation and visual spatial working memory than the TD group, while the MG group differed from the TD group on visual spatial working memory and creativity. It is concluded that creativity plays a significant role in mathematics, above working memory and number sense.

How Informal Learning Activities Can Promote Children’s Numerical Knowledge

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geetha B. Ramani ◽  
Robert S. Siegler
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Numerical Knowledge

Before children begin school, there is a wide range of individual differences in children’s early numerical knowledge. Theoretical and empirical work from the sociocultural perspective suggests that children’s experiences in the early home environment and with informal number activities can contribute to these differences. This article draws from this work to hypothesize that differences in the home explain, in part, why the numerical knowledge of children from low-income backgrounds trails behind that of peers from middle-class backgrounds. By integrating sociocultural perspectives with a theoretical analysis of children’s mental number line, the authors created an informal learning activity to serve as an intervention to promote young children’s numerical knowledge. Our studies have shown that playing a simple number board game can promote the numerical knowledge of young children from low-income backgrounds. The authors discuss how informal learning activities can play a critical role in the development of children’s early maths skills.

scholarly journals Cognitive mediators of US—China differences in early symbolic arithmetic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255283
Author(s):  
John E. Opfer ◽  
Dan Kim ◽  
Lisa K. Fazio ◽  
Xinlin Zhou ◽  
Robert S. Siegler
Keyword(s):  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Chinese Children ◽  
Numerical Magnitude ◽  
Magnitude Comparison ◽  
Cognitive Mediators ◽  
Number Line Estimation ◽  
Mathematics Knowledge ◽  
Us Children ◽  
Symbolic Number

Chinese children routinely outperform American peers in standardized tests of mathematics knowledge. To examine mediators of this effect, 95 Chinese and US 5-year-olds completed a test of overall symbolic arithmetic, an IQ subtest, and three tests each of symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude knowledge (magnitude comparison, approximate addition, and number-line estimation). Overall Chinese children performed better in symbolic arithmetic than US children, and all measures of IQ and number knowledge predicted overall symbolic arithmetic. Chinese children were more accurate than US peers in symbolic numerical magnitude comparison, symbolic approximate addition, and both symbolic and non-symbolic number-line estimation; Chinese and U.S. children did not differ in IQ and non-symbolic magnitude comparison and approximate addition. A substantial amount of the nationality difference in overall symbolic arithmetic was mediated by performance on the symbolic and number-line tests.

scholarly journals Core knowledge and working memory as prerequisites of early school arithmetic

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Arndt
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Numerical Magnitude ◽  
Core Knowledge ◽  
Cognitive Variables ◽  
Core System ◽  
Number Range

Recent studies showed that kindergarten children solve addition, subtraction, doubling and halving problems using the core system for the approximate representation of numerical magnitude. In Study 1, 34 first-grade students in their first week of schooling solved approximate arithmetic problems in a number range up to 100 regarding all four basic operations. Children solved these problems significantly above chance.In Study 2, 66 first graders were tested for their approximate arithmetic achievement, working memory capacity, groupitizing, phonological awareness, naming speed and early arithmetic concepts at the beginning of first grade and again at the beginning of second grade. It appears that approximate arithmetic achievement is independent from most other cognitive variables and correlates most with other variables of the mathematical domain. Furthermore, regression analyses revealed that school success was only predicted by groupitizing and central executive capacity, but not approximate arithmetic achievement, when controlling for other cognitive variables.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: The Association of Basic Numerical Abilities and Math Achievement: The Mediating Role of Visuospatial and Arithmetical Abilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110400
Author(s):  
Franziska Rebholz ◽  
Jessika Golle ◽  
Korbinian Moeller
Keyword(s):  
Number Line ◽  
Mathematical Achievement ◽  
School Students ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Solution Strategies ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Numerical Abilities ◽  
Visuospatial Abilities ◽  
Number Line Estimation

Basic numerical abilities such as number line estimation have been observed repeatedly to be associated with mathematical achievement. Recently, it was argued that the association between basic numerical abilities and mathematical achievement is fully mediated by visuospatial abilities. However, arithmetical abilities have not yet been considered as influencing this association, even though solution strategies in number line estimation as well as mathematical achievement often involve arithmetical procedures. Therefore, we investigated the mediating role of arithmetical and visuospatial abilities on the association between number line estimation and mathematical achievement in a sample of n = 599 German elementary school students. Results indicated that arithmetical abilities as well as visuospatial abilities mediated the association between number line estimation and mathematical achievement. However, neither visuospatial nor arithmetical abilities fully mediated the association between number line estimation and mathematical achievement when considered in isolation. This substantiates the relevance of the intertwined development of visuospatial and arithemtical abilities as well as basic numerical abilities such as number line estimation (i.e. the combination of domain-specific numerical and domain-general abilities) driving mathematical achievement.

scholarly journals Integrating numerical cognition research and mathematics education to strengthen the teaching and learning of early number

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Hawes ◽  
Rebecca Merkley ◽  
Daniel Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Numerical Cognition ◽  
School Context ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Number Line Estimation ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
And Mathematics

This study reports on the design, implementation, and effects of a 16-week (25-hour) mathematics Professional Development (PD) model for K-3 educators (N=45) and their students (N=180). A central goal of the PD was to better integrate numerical cognition research and mathematics education. The results of the first iteration (Year 1), indicated that compared to a control group, both teachers and students benefitted from the intervention. Teachers demonstrated gains in self-perceived and actual numerical cognition knowledge, while students demonstrated gains in number line estimation, arithmetic, and numeration. In Year 2, teachers in the intervention group demonstrated greater improvements than the control group on a measure of self-perceived numerical cognition knowledge, but no gains in actual numerical cognition knowledge. At the student level, there was some evidence of gains in numeration. Given the mixed findings, questions remain as to why the model may be effective in one school context but not another.

scholarly journals Narrowing the early mathematics gap: A play-based intervention to promote low-income preschoolers’ number skills

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole R. Scalise ◽  
Emily N. Daubert ◽  
Geetha B. Ramani
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Numerical Magnitude ◽  
Card Game ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Early Mathematics ◽  
Magnitude Comparison ◽  
Number Representations ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Symbolic Number ◽  
Numerical Knowledge

Preschoolers from low-income households lag behind preschoolers from middle-income households on numerical skills that underlie later mathematics achievement. However, it is unknown whether these gaps exist on parallel measures of symbolic and non-symbolic numerical skills. Experiment 1 indicated preschoolers from low-income backgrounds were less accurate than peers from middle-income backgrounds on a measure of symbolic magnitude comparison, but they performed equivalently on a measure of non-symbolic magnitude comparison. This suggests activities linking non-symbolic and symbolic number representations may be used to support children’s numerical knowledge. Experiment 2 randomly assigned low-income preschoolers (Mean Age = 4.7 years) to play either a numerical magnitude comparison or a numerical matching card game across four 15 min sessions over a 3-week period. The magnitude comparison card game led to significant improvements in participants’ symbolic magnitude comparison skills in an immediate posttest assessment. Following the intervention, low-income participants performed equivalently to an age- and gender-matched sample of middle-income preschoolers in symbolic magnitude comparison. These results suggest a brief intervention that combines non-symbolic and symbolic magnitude representations can support low-income preschoolers’ early numerical knowledge.

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