Abstract
The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of two pencil-and-paper trainings empowering numerical and visuo-spatial abilities in Italian five-year-old kindergarteners. Specifically, the trainings were respectively carried out by the curricular teacher or by an external trainer. The former received a specific training in order to use the psychoeducational programmes with her pupils, whereas the latter received a specific education about the role of numerical and visuo-spatial abilities for school achievement and she was also trained to use psychoeducational trainings in kindergarten schools. At pre-test and post-test nonverbal functions and numeracy knowledge were assessed through a battery of standardized tests. The results show that both the numerical psychoeducational programme and the visuo-spatial one are useful tools to enhance mathematical achievements in kindergarteners. However, when the trainings were proposed by the external trainer, the efficacy of the psychoeducational programmes was more significant. These outcomes seem to be related both to the expertise and the novelty effect of the external trainer on the classroom.
Highlights
The measurement is a complex activity in which the researcher try to acquire specific and detailed information on the world, in order to describe the nature of the relationships among concepts and proprieties [1]
The results show that both the numerical psychoeducational programme and the visuo-spatial one are useful tools to enhance mathematical achievements in kindergarteners
Legend : G1 combined training administered by the curricular teacher; G2 combined training administered by the external trainer; G3 control group
Summary
The measurement is a complex activity in which the researcher try to acquire specific and detailed information on the world, in order to describe the nature of the relationships among concepts and proprieties [1]. A body of studies carried out in educational settings underlines the importance to train visuo-spatial working memory processes through targeted interventions and specific teaching strategies, in order to support the development of numerical abilities both in typically and atypically developing children [22] In this regard, a long research tradition concerning the measurement of mathematics learning in pre-schoolers [23,24] as a function of the measurement of psychoeducational trainings efficacy suggests that the effect size of the trainings enhancing numerical skills since the early childhood highlights the practical significance of the outcomes in terms of improvements of specific aspects of mathematics achievements (e.g., mental calculation, counting sequences, quantity comparisons) [25]. To our knowledge, no studies have been conducted in order to investigate whether a specific expertise of the trainer about the relationship between visuo-spatial abilities and the development of numeracy can influence mathematical learning in preschoolers
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