Annual Conference 2013 paper: Six-year-old children considered failing in maths

Abstract

This study confirmed that children as young as 6-years-old can already be deemed as failing in mathematics and considered a range of factors which may be contributing towards that judgement. These included the core number sense, connections between symbolic and non-symbolic representations of number, mathematical language used in the home, memory, anxiety and relative young age of the pupil in their year group. Case studies of four children formed the basis of the study. Thematic analysis conducted on the data revealed lack of understanding, weak memory and behavioural aspects as the main themes to explain the pupils’ difficulties with maths attainment. Intervention led to different outcomes depending on the profile of the individual pupil. The apparent progress of pupils indicates that targeted intervention concentrating on reinforcing connections between finger gnosis, numerosity and symbolic number patterns appear to have positive effects on these children’s learning, leading to greater confidence and enhanced understanding.