Abstract
Basic numeric competencies in early childhood are found to be good predictors for later mathematical achievement. Therefore, it is of broad interest how specific predictors in early childhood, which are held responsible for a better arithmetic development later on, can be found. Our study aims to conduct more information to this topic and hence to extract factors that can already predict the basic numerical and magnitude competencies in preschool. Based on a sample of 188 preschoolers from 26 different kindergartens throughout Tyrol, we wanted to prove whether the factors of phonological awareness, counting abilities, fine motor skills, visual-spatial perception, motoric coordination as well as the children’s age, their gender or handedness may be considered as possible predictors for later mathematic skills. Our data analysis revealed that only phonological awareness, counting abilities and children’s visual-spatial perception pose significant predictors specifically for the basic numerical and magnitude competencies in preschoolers. In a second step, we tested whether these predictors are the same or different regarding two subgroups from our sample including children with different requirements. We found that children with different skills (concerning phonological awareness) might choose different strategies to acquire new competencies; therefore, different predictors are relevant for basic numerical and magnitude competencies. Regarding over all arithmetic competencies it is equal which predictor leads to basic numerical and magnitude competencies, children’s performance did not differ.
Highlights
Development of Understanding Numbers and QuantitiesThe ability to read and write numbers and to capture their meaning is an essential step in every child’s development and a requirement for mastering later daily life
Based on a sample of 188 preschoolers from 26 different kindergartens throughout Tyrol, we wanted to prove whether the factors of phonological awareness, counting abilities, fine motor skills, visual-spatial perception, motoric coordination as well as the children’s age, their gender or handedness may be considered as possible predictors for later mathematic skills
For the task, where the participants had to count the images of six lions, 95.1% of the children showed that they were able to count given objects correctly. 96.2% operated with the stable-order-principle while counting
Summary
Development of Understanding Numbers and QuantitiesThe ability to read and write numbers and to capture their meaning is an essential step in every child’s development and a requirement for mastering later daily life. Around the age of two and a half, children start to count At this point children are usually able to repeat number series like little poems without knowledge about the meaning of these numbers and the quantities behind them (Wynn, 1992b). Children at this stage of the counting development usually don’t realize that every counted object is dedicated to one number word. Once the children figure out the cardinal principle for the smaller numbers (up to three or four) they generalize this principle to the rest of their counting list (Negen & Sarnecka, 2015)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
