The Development of Mathematical Knowledge in Two West African Societies

Abstract

POSNER, JILL K. The Development of Mathematical Knowledge in Two West African Societies. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 200-208. The research investigated the development of mathematical concepts among children from 2 groups in West Africa, an agricultural tribe (Baoule) and a merchant society (Dioula). Baoule and Dioula children at 3 age levels participated: preschoolers, 5-6 years (study 1); 7-8-year-olds with 1 year of school (study 2); and schooled and unschooled 9-10-year-olds (studies 1 and 2). Experimental tasks covered several systems of mathematical thought from the perception of relative quantity and the identification of static equivalence (study 1) to the ability to solve practical addition problems (study 2). Results provide evidence that the ability to judge numerosity rapidly may be a universal capacity. All subjects by middle childhood performed equally well on this task. On the latter two tasks, which required the activation of other than perceptual strategies, schooling improved performance significantly among Baoule subjects while there were no reliable differences between schooled and unschooled Dioulas. The advancement of quantitative understanding appears to be dependent on certain kinds of experiences which both schooling and a merchant culture afford.