Cross- and Within-Domain Associations of Early Reading and Mathematical Skills: Changes Across the Preschool Years.

Fu Yu Kwok,David Muñez,Rebecca Bull

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710470

Fu Yu Kwok, David Muñez + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710470

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Abstract

Existing research has mainly examined the role of cognitive correlates of early reading and mathematics from a stationary perspective that does not consider how these skills unfold and interact over time. This approach constraints the interpretation of cross-domain associations and the specificity of domain-specific covariates. In this study, we disentangle the role of these predictors and investigate cross-domain associations between reading, math, and two related domain-specific predictors (phonological awareness and fluency with number sets) over the kindergarten years (n=512, Mage=54months, SDage=3.5, 52% females). Results reveal that the overlap between reading and math skills changes over development. Reciprocal associations between reading and math abilities are observed at earlier stages; then, reading abilities become the lead force. Findings also show that phonological awareness and fluency with number sets are domain-specific predictors that do not contribute to cross-domain gains in academic skills. Indeed, there is a trend for domain-specific skills to be more strongly related to achievement at the beginning of formal education than at the beginning of kindergarten, which suggests an increasing differentiation of domains over the kindergarten years. Such findings have implications for the timing and nature of interventions that aim to support children’s reading and mathematical development.

Highlights

The acquisition of basic reading and numerical skills prior to school is argued to be the bedrock for continued learning as children enter formal schooling
The purpose of the present study is to further elucidate the role of two domain-specific predictors that have been broadly investigated in the literature—phonological awareness, one of the strongest cognitive correlates of learning to read (Melby-Lervåg et al, 2012) and of disabilities in reading (Snowling, 2001), and children’s fluency in identifying and processing quantities represented by numerals and object sets, which is associated with math achievement (e.g., (Geary et al, 2007, 2009; Fuchs et al, 2010a,b; Geary, 2011), and may serve to identify children with mathematical learning difficulties (Geary et al, 2009)
The within-variable correlations over time showed a typical autoregressive pattern. This pattern was more evident for reading and math than for phonological awareness and number sets

Summary

Introduction

The acquisition of basic reading and numerical skills prior to school is argued to be the bedrock for continued learning as children enter formal schooling. In an influential study that investigated several datasets from different large-scale studies, Duncan et al (2007) found that early math and reading skills have the greatest predictive power in school readiness and later achievement. The bulk of evidence supporting such policy recommendations comes from domain-specific studies that have focused on either math or reading. This study aims to extend the existing knowledge base by exploring cross-domain associations between reading, math, and two related domain-specific predictors (phonological awareness and fluency in identifying and processing quantities represented by numerals and object sets) over the kindergarten years. Clarifying the possible existence of bi-directional associations on the underlying influences of reading and mathematics ability in early childhood may carry significant implications in the refinement of pedagogy and policy

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