Abstract
In the present study, we examined number knowledge skills of 697 Portuguese elementary students from first to fourth grade. Students completed three number knowledge tasks: 1) translating numbers into words, 2) symbolic magnitude (i.e., number comparison), and 3) decomposing numbers. We evaluated students’ answers by means of error analysis using a three-category coding system adopted from specific error types were computed by grade level. Results showed that there were significant differences among grades and that the prerequisite linguistic error type (i.e., pre linguistic rules or principles of the cardinal number system), particularly in the magnitude tasks, significantly contributed to students’ performance on number knowledge tasks. This is important for instruction because learning difficulties in mathematics have been associated with weaknesses in intermediate number knowledge competencies (e.g., number comparison). Our qualitative data analyses suggest that instruction, intervention, or remediation need to consider systematic instructing students the prelinguistic rules of the number system, specifically the principles related to larger numbers.
Highlights
Student mathematical skills normally are acquired through a cumulative and progressive learning process
Recognizing that persistent errors in number knowledge tasks may imply incorrect or incomplete number concepts, we examined the type of errors Portuguese students made in three number knowledge tasks
The purpose of the present study was threefold: 1) to examine the type of errors Portuguese elementary students make in number knowledge tasks, 2) to identify the most common type of errors in number knowledge by grade level, and 3) to identify the type of errors that significantly contribute to student performance on number knowledge
Summary
Student mathematical skills normally are acquired through a cumulative and progressive learning process. Numeracy or number knowledge (i.e., the understanding of whole numbers and number relationships) has been identified as a predictor of successful mathematics learning [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Most children are able to acquire number knowledge skills when taught informally (e.g., home) or formally (e.g., school) [7]. Not all children acquire numeracy skills . Other studies have connected mathematics learning disability (MLD) to specific number knowledge tasks such as comparing and naming digits [11,12,13]. Researchers have found that students who have MLD are less efficient and slower in processing symbolic number tasks such as magnitude comparison tasks (i.e., which number is larger?) than typically developing children [14,15]
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