The development of young children's number sense through participation in sociocultural activity: Profiles of two children

Abstract

SUMMARY Children's accounts of their participation in sociocultural activity related to number are essential for their teachers in order that they can assist children in building their formal learning in number on informally acquired numerical understandings. Children's participation in sociocultural activity related to number will differ from child to child. This study explores some of those differences as conveyed by children who, from their own perspectives, recount their experiences with number. Individual experience-based flexible focused clinical interviews were held with a number of children. In discussion, children in the study tell the story of their participation in numerical learning, the guidance they received, their collaboration with others and the extent to which they suggest that they control their own learning. Individual profiles were drawn up from the interview data and these portray how children appeared to participate in numerically-related learning, how they appeared to be supported in that participation and how participation in such events appeared to prepare them for their participation in the interviews. The two profiles discussed in this paper show the importance of affect in relation to children's cognitive development in the domain of number. Implications are drawn for curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. The data presented here are part of a larger study related to number sense as it pertains to young children at the point of entry to school in Ireland.