Children's Mathematics Research Articles

Improvement in Math Ability and Cognitive Processing in Children with Low Attention: An Intervention Based on PASS Theory.

This study investigates the effects of math training on math and cognitive performance among 8-9 year-old students with low attention. Fifty-six students with low attention were randomly assigned to a training group (n = 24) and a passive control group (n = 32). They completed math problem-solving, calculation fluency and PASS cognitive processing tests both before and after training. The children in the training group received 3 days of training per week for a total of 21 days using the math modules of The Children's Mathematics and Cognition Training Manual in Chinese. The results showed that the training group's math problem-solving performance improved significantly. Moreover, the cognitive performance on the CAS-2 in the planning and simultaneous processing tests for the training group was enhanced. The implications of these findings are discussed with consideration of the interpretability being constrained by the fact that no active control condition was applied.

Peran Orang Tua Dalam Mendukung Pembelajaran Matematika di Rumah Bagi Siswa Sekolah Dasar

This study aims to understand the critical role of parents in supporting children's mathematics learning at the elementary school level. In this context, the research employs a qualitative approach with a case study design to explore parental involvement in facilitating mathematics comprehension at home and collaboration with teachers. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and document analysis of ten purposively selected families. The results indicate that effective communication between parents and teachers, as well as the support provided at home, plays a significant role in enhancing children's understanding and motivation in learning mathematics. Parents who are actively involved in their children's learning, both through direct interaction with teachers and by facilitating learning activities at home, are proven to help children overcome challenges in learning mathematics. The study also emphasizes the importance of consistent collaboration between home and school to create a supportive learning environment. The implications of this study suggest that active parental involvement and collaboration with teachers are crucial for achieving optimal mathematics learning outcomes.

Neuroanatomical, transcriptomic, and molecular correlates of math ability and their prognostic value for predicting learning outcomes.

Foundational mathematical abilities, acquired in early childhood, are essential for success in our technology-driven society. Yet, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying individual differences in children's mathematical abilities and learning outcomes remain largely unexplored. Leveraging one of the largest multicohort datasets from children at a pivotal stage of knowledge acquisition, we first establish a replicable mathematical ability-related imaging phenotype (MAIP). We then show that brain gene expression profiles enriched for candidate math ability-related genes, neuronal signaling, synaptic transmission, and voltage-gated potassium channel activity contributed to the MAIP. Furthermore, the similarity between MAIP gene expression signatures and brain structure, acquired before intervention, predicted learning outcomes in two independent math tutoring cohorts. These findings advance our knowledge of the interplay between neuroanatomical, transcriptomic, and molecular mechanisms underlying mathematical ability and reveal predictive biomarkers of learning. Our findings have implications for the development of personalized education and interventions.

Examining the Effect of Parental Support and Education Provided to Parents

The study aims to investigate parental involvement in children's mathematics education, with a particular focus on the subject of circles, in the absence of tailored support programs for parents in this area. In this study, the action research method was used. The study sample consisted of voluntary participants among the parents of 6th-grade students. The data collection tools of the study consisted of achievement tests administered to students and their parents, semi-structured interviews with students and parents after the program, and observations of the participants. We found that parents could learn the subjects depending on their level of education, they could be helpful to their children through their existing knowledge, they understood their children better and their beliefs that they could help their children increased. Likewise, children's belief that their parents could help them strengthened, and their academic success in the subject of circles also increased. Consequently, children experience greater happiness in student-centered lessons and display increased proficiency. Moreover, when faced with parts of the subject that they did not understand, they could quickly seek assistance from their parents. Furthermore, the children and parents expressed satisfaction with this study and a desire to continue training.

Mechanisms underlying the relations between parents' perfectionistic tendencies and young children's mathematical abilities.

Parents' high academic expectations are positively associated with young children's mathematical abilities. However, minimal attention has been devoted to whether, and how, different ways of conveying the performance targets would result in different outcomes. The current study investigated whether and how parents' perfectionistic strivings and concerns were associated with young children's mathematical abilities through home mathematical activities, children's approach motivation to learn mathematics, and children's avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Participants included 211 kindergarteners in Hong Kong and their parents. Data were collected through individual child tests and parent questionnaires. Structural equation modelling revealed that parents' perfectionistic strivings had a direct positive link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via home mathematical activities, and then approach motivation. Parents' perfectionistic concerns had a direct negative link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Early childhood practitioners are recommended to raise parents' awareness of how to communicate high-performance targets to children in a constructive manner.

Cross-notation knowledge of rational numbers predicts fraction arithmetic.

Recent research showed that cross-notation magnitude knowledge of fractions and decimals was related to better performance in fraction arithmetic, but it remains unclear whether it made an independent contribution to fraction arithmetic longitudinally when other cognitive variables are considered. To examine the extent to which children's earlier knowledge of cross-notation magnitude predicted subsequent performance in fraction addition and subtraction as well as fraction multiplication and division longitudinally. Three hundred and fifty-four Chinese children (Mage = 112.1 months). During the first wave of assessment, a range of cognitive abilities of children were measured, including within-notation fraction and decimal magnitude comparisons, whole-number arithmetic fluency, non-verbal intelligence, attentive behaviours, counting recall, word-level reading, and phonological awareness. Twelve months later, the same children were assessed again with two tasks of fraction arithmetic: fraction addition and subtraction as well as fraction multiplication and division. Multiple linear regressions showed that within-notation fraction and decimal magnitude knowledge predicted fraction addition and subtraction longitudinally, after the effects of working memory, nonverbal intelligence, language skills, attentive behaviour, and whole-number arithmetic were controlled. Cross-notation magnitude knowledge made independent contributions to fraction addition and subtraction longitudinally beyond the influence of within-notation fraction and decimal magnitude knowledge and other covariates. However, within-notation fraction and decimal magnitude knowledge were not associated with fraction multiplication and division, whereas cross-notation magnitude knowledge remained a unique predictor. These findings suggest that it may be useful to incorporate cross-notation knowledge in the assessments of children's mathematics abilities and teaching.

Permainan Tradisional Congklak terhadap Pengembangan Kecerdasan Logis Matematis Anak

This research aims to determine the influence of traditional games on the development of children's mathematical logical intelligence in preschool Kartika and Dta Al-Bilal, Karawang district in 2023. The method used is a quasi-experimental type with a non-equivalent control group design approach. The research results show that the Wilcoxon test results show the asymp value. Sig. (2-taileid) is <.001 < 0.005, so it can be concluded that ho is rejected and ha is accepted, thus it can be concluded that there is an influence of the traditional game congklak on the development of children's mathematical logical intelligence in the Kartika preschool, Karawang district in 2023. The conclusion of this research is that there is an influence of traditional games on the development of children's mathematical logical intelligence at Paud Kartika and Dta Al-Bilal. Keywords: Children's Mathematical Logical Intelligence, Traditional Congklak Games, Development.

An Investigation of Teachers’ Perception on Parental Involvement in Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Parental involvement is the foundation stone of academic success. When parents interact with teachers and with their children to encourage mathematics learning, it builds a positive relationship that leads to better teaching and learning. Previous studies indicated that parental involvement affects learners' achievement. However, less is known about the effects of teacher perceptions of parental involvement on learners' mathematics achievement in primary school. The critical problem to be explored is teachers' perceptions toward parental involvement in learning mathematics. This paper investigates teachers' perceptions of parental involvement in teaching and learning mathematics. This study was guided by the following main question: What are teachers' perceptions of parental involvement in teaching and learning mathematics? The study used a qualitative exploratory case study design. Purposive convenience sampling is used to select research participants. Participants in the study are 18 Junior Primary teachers in Windhoek, Khomas Region-Namibia. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered to eighteen (18) teachers from selected schools located in Windhoek to explore teachers' perceptions of parental involvement in teaching and learning mathematics. The study's findings revealed that lack of parental support is one factor affecting the learners' achievement in mathematics, and the teachers need training on effectively involving the parents in learning mathematics. The anticipated contribution of the study is to motivate teachers and parents to collaborate in developing appropriate mathematical knowledge in children to understand mathematics concepts, to apply them in solving everyday problems and to encourage parents to support their children's mathematics learning, to equip parents with the necessary resources and skills for mathematics should we be faced with another disruption like the Covid-19 pandemic or exist in the future and for them to develop appropriate mathematical knowledge.

Assessing Teachers’ Readiness for Mathematics Instruction: Insights from Student Perspectives

This study evaluated the perceived readiness of Mathematics teachers at Luuk National High School from the perspective of their students. Utilizing a descriptive-correlational research design, the study included 100 student respondents selected through purposive sampling. Key findings are as follows: The majority of the 100 student respondents are female, within the typical age range for junior high school, and evenly distributed across the four grade levels. Their parents generally have average educational attainment and low-income levels. Students perceive their teachers as frequently prepared to teach Mathematics across three main areas: understanding of student needs in Mathematics, strategies for engaging students, and the implementation of instructional practices. No significant differences were observed in perceived teacher readiness based on students' age, gender, parental education, or family income, except grade level. There is a significant positive correlation among the subcategories of teacher readiness, except between understanding student needs in Mathematics and engagement strategies. The study offers several recommendations: School administrators should enhance support and resources for Mathematics teachers through professional development, mentoring, feedback, and recognition. Mathematics teachers are encouraged to deepen their understanding of student needs, refine their instructional strategies, and collaborate with colleagues to share best practices. Parents should actively support their children's Mathematics education, especially given the low income and educational levels within the community. Students should value and leverage the readiness and resources provided by their teachers. Future research should investigate additional factors influencing teacher readiness, such as school culture, curriculum, assessment methods, and technological integration.

Developmental trajectories of school-beginners' ability self-concept, intrinsic value and performance in mathematics.

Although research clearly demonstrates the importance of motivation in mathematics learning, relatively little is known about the developmental dynamics between different facets of mathematics motivation and performance, especially in the early years of schooling. In a longitudinal setting, we examined (1) how children's ability self-concept and intrinsic value in mathematics change over time during their first 3 years in school, (2) how those changes relate to each other and (3) how they connect with mathematics performance. The participants were 285 Finnish school-beginners (52.7% girls). Latent growth curve modelling was used to examine the developmental trajectories of children's ability self-concept and intrinsic value, and how those trajectories predicted later mathematics achievement (both mathematics test performance and teacher-rated grades), while controlling for previous mathematics performance and gender. The results showed significant decreases in children's ability self-concept and intrinsic value, but also significant individual differences in the trajectories. The strong dependency between the levels and changes in self-concept and intrinsic value led us to specify a factor-of-curves latent growth curve model, thus merging the trajectories of ability self-concept and intrinsic value into one common model. Subsequent results showed prior mathematics performance to predict change in children's mathematics motivation, and both the level and change in mathematics motivation to predict third-grade performance and teacher-rated grade. Our findings provide evidence for a developmental link between children's ability self-concept, intrinsic value and achievement. Achievement seems to enhance mathematics motivation, and positive motivation appears to support the further development of mathematics skills.

The home mathematics environment and its relation to children's mathematical skills for Chinese families

The home mathematics environment of preschoolers is related to their mathematical performance. Information about the home mathematics environment in China is sparse, however. Accordingly, we developed and tested a culturally relevant home mathematics environment questionnaire for Chinese families. In Study 1 (n = 376), exploratory factor analysis of the questionnaire revealed four activity factors: Informal, Basic Formal, Advanced Formal, and Spatial. In Study 2 (n = 353), the general structure of the questionnaire was evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis. Some minor changes were made to the questionnaire. In Study 3, 137 caregivers completed the refined questionnaire and their children were tested on fundamental mathematical skills. As in research from Western countries, Chinese parents' reports of the frequency of advanced mathematical activities were positively correlated with their preschoolers' mathematical skills. This study provides comparative data from China about the home mathematics environment and broadens the scope of research beyond Western countries. Educational relevance statementWe developed a questionnaire with high reliability and strong validity, demonstrating that it is a useful tool for assessing the home mathematics environment of Chinese families. The work adds to the literature on the home mathematics environment more generally and provides comparative data from China. We found that the performance of Chinese preschool children on mathematical tasks was related to the frequency of advanced but not basic formal mathematical activities, highlighting the similar relations between the home mathematics environment and children's mathematics performance across the world.

Pengaruh Pendekatan Permainan dalam Kartu Pinmat Math Hero terhadap Pemahaman Matematika di Tingkat Sekolah Dasar

This qualitative research investigates the use of the Math Hero Flashcards in elementary school children's mathematics education. Math Hero Flashcards are specially designed learning tools aimed at enhancing mathematical understanding, accuracy, and mastery of arithmetic operations for numbers 1-10 through interactive games. The study involves direct observation, interviews, and interactive play with children with the aim of understanding the effects of Math Hero Flashcards on children's mathematical understanding, learning motivation, and interest. The results of the research indicate that the use of Math Hero Flashcards enhances elementary school children's mathematical understanding, fosters motivation for learning, and creates a more enjoyable learning experience. However, some interview participants mentioned that they had found alternatives in the form of math game apps on their phones. Therefore, this research underscores the need for integration between physical learning tools like Math Hero Flashcards and learning technology to achieve holistic and engaging mathematics education for children.

Determining the Influential Parameters Affecting the Ability Level of Visually Impaired Children in Mathematics

Purpose: This research was an effort to determine the influential parameters affecting the ability level of visually impaired individuals in mathematics.
 Methodology/Approach: Students’ behaviors improve as a result of their education to get the right outcome; teaching skills must be mastered. Student having visual impairment are supported according to their needs to achieve their ambitions. This gives instructors in both educational systems a solid motivation to work hard in accordance with students’ cognitive abilities. However, a getting an education, particularly in math is very challenging for VI students.
 As compared to sighted students it is very hard grasp the knowledge of spatial nations and directional concepts. Moreover, the VI students face lot of challenges like less opportunities as compared to the students without visual impairment. This study explored the factors that could affect how adept at maths young people with visual impairments are. This research was based on 100 special students having visual impairment. The students’ affiliations were with different schools and came from different family background. Data was personally collected by the author and later it was analyzed in statistical software.
 Findings: Studies revealed that, regardless of the way that visual hindrance and visual impairment affect students' capacity to concentrate on math, as numerous authors have noted, it isn't difficult to help these students in beating their difficulties.The direst outcome imaginable is likely when instructors totally abandon a youngster and offer no help by any means.
 Implications: Based on data analysis possible reasons of the student’s issues and few suggestions to tackle those issues have been made at the end.

Building Numeracy Skills: Associations between DUPLO® Block Construction and Numeracy in Early Childhood.

Research shows that children's block construction skills are positively associated with their concurrent and later mathematics performance. Furthermore, there is evidence that block construction training is particularly beneficial for improving early mathematics skills in children from low-Socio Economic Status (SES) groups who are known to have lower maths performance than their peers. The current study investigates (a) the association between block construction and mathematics in children just before the start of formal schooling (4 years-of-age in the UK) and (b) whether the association between block construction and mathematics differs between children from more compared to less affluent families. Participants in this study included 116 children (M = 3 years 11 months, SD = 3 months) who all completed numeracy, block construction, and receptive vocabulary tasks. Socio-economic status and demographic information (child age, gender, ethnicity) were also obtained from parents. Findings show a strong positive association between block construction and early numeracy skills. Block construction skills explained approximately 5% of the variation in numeracy, even after controlling for age in months, household income, and child receptive vocabulary. When separated by SES group, for children from less affluent families, block construction explained a significant amount of variability (14.5%) in numeracy performance after covariates. For children from more affluent families, block construction did not explain a significant amount of variation in numeracy. These findings suggest that, interventions involving block construction skills may help to reduce SES-based attainment gaps in UK children's mathematics achievement.

Magnitude representation of preschool children with autism spectrum condition.

The mathematical abilities of children with autism spectrum condition have been understudied. Magnitude representation (e.g. presenting the number of a collection of objects) is a fundamental numerical ability presented since early infancy and is correlated with children's later learning of formal mathematics. It remains unclear about whether children with autism spectrum condition differ from their peers without autism spectrum condition in precision of magnitude representations. This study compared preschool children with and without autism spectrum condition in their precision of magnitude representation with an approximate number comparison task, in which children compared two sets of dots without counting and chose the set with more dots. Children with autism spectrum condition exhibited the lower numerical comparison accuracy (i.e. the weaker magnitude representation) than their peers without autism spectrum condition. This difference existed even when multiple general cognitive abilities (working memory, inhibitory control, and nonverbal intelligence) and language abilities were statistically controlled. Moreover, the individual difference of the numerical comparison accuracy was larger in children with autism spectrum condition than without autism spectrum condition. These findings suggest that children with autism spectrum condition are at risk of weaker magnitude representation from an early age, emphasizing the need for specialized mathematics education or interventions to support their learning. In addition, the large variance in the precision of their magnitude representation suggests that individualized mathematics interventions are needed for children with autism spectrum condition.

Analysis of Children’s Numeracy Skills in The Village Pagar Dewa Kaur with Math Approach Realistic

Background. The relevance of math materials to children's daily lives is an important factor in the success of this approach. Purpose. This study aims to analyze the counting ability of children in Pagar Dewa Village Kaur with Realistic Mathematics approach. Method. The research sample consisted of 30 children aged 6-8 years. Data was collected through counting ability test and observation. Results. he results showed that most of the children in Pagar Dewa Village Kaur had low counting skills. However, after learning with the Realistic Mathematics approach, there was a significant increase in children's understanding and application of mathematical concepts. Conclusion. This study provides recommendations for educators and curriculum developers to apply the Realistic Mathematics approach in children's mathematics learning in rural areas.

Investigating associations between parent engagement and toddlers' mathematics performance.

Early mathematics skills relate to later mathematics achievement and educational attainment, which in turn predict career choice, income, health and financial decision-making. Critically, large differences exist among children in early mathematics performance, with parental mathematics engagement being a key predictor. However, most prior work has examined mothers' mathematics engagement with their preschool- and school-aged children. In this Registered Report, we tested concurrent associations between mothers' and fathers' engagement in mathematics activities with their 2- to 3-year-old toddlers and children's mathematics performance. Mothers and fathers did not differ in their engagement in mathematics activities, and both parents' mathematics engagement related to toddlers' mathematics skills. Fathers' mathematics engagement was associated with toddlers' number and mathematics language skills, but not their spatial skills. Mothers' mathematics engagement was only associated with toddlers' mathematics language skills. Critically, associations may be domain-specific, as parents' literacy engagement did not relate to measures of mathematics performance above their mathematics engagement. Mothers' and fathers' mathematics activities uniquely relate to toddlers' developing mathematics skills, and future work on the nuances of these associations is needed.

Parent and teacher judgments about children's mathematics and reading competencies in primary school: Do parent judgments associate with children's educational outcomes?

Most research on this topic has focused on examining parent and teacher judgments separately. Therefore, information about the relationship between parent and teacher judgments and children's cognitive competence is relatively sparse. To bridge this research gap, this study aimed to examine the relationships between both parent and teacher judgments and children's mathematics and reading competencies.The present study used data from the Starting Cohort 2 of the German National Educational Panel Study, which primarily collected data on children, but also collected data on parents and educators.The results of multilevel regression models confirmed the significant contribution of both parent and teacher judgments in explaining the variance in mathematics and reading competencies. More importantly, the results indicated that the combined contribution of parent and teacher judgments to children's competencies is more meaningful than their independent judgments. This result highlights the role of family-school partnerships in promoting children's educational success.

USE OF REALIA MEDIA TO IMPROVE CHILDREN'S MATHEMATICS LEARNING OUTCOMES IN PAUD PERMATA IMAN

This research was conducted on Permata Iman PAUD children whose background was the low learning outcomes of children in mathematics.The purpose of this study was to improve children's mathematics learning outcomes with the help of realia media in the form of coloredpaper. This research was conducted using action research methods with 2 cycles. In cycle I, an average value of 66.20 was obtained.In cycle 1, only 13 people reached the KKM out of a total of 24 children. In the second cycle, an average value of 79.62 was obtained andall children achieved KKM scores and some even exceeded it. From these results it can be concluded that the use of realia media can improvethe mathematics learning outcomes of Permata Iman PAUD children. This can also be proven by showing the percentage of children's learningcompleteness results in cycle I of 54.16%, then increasing in cycle II to 100%.

Parents' experiences of mathematics learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic: a typology of parental engagement in mathematics education.

The COVID pandemic disrupted the schooling of students worldwide resulting in many having had a period of at-home learning. Many parents found themselves assuming responsibility for supporting their children's at-home learning. Parents often find it difficult to support their children's mathematicslearning compared with other curriculum areas. There has been limited research exploring parental engagement in mathematics education generally, and little into parental engagement in mathematics education during the COVID pandemic. This paper examines how parents supported their child's mathematics education during the school closures and identifies the factors that impacted this engagement. The Ecologies of Parental Engagement (EPE) model was used to help describe the engagement of different parents in mathematics education during the school closures and to examine the way the home space and available capital shaped parental engagement. Eight parents were selected from a larger Australian study that explored the impact of the pandemic-induced period of at-home schooling on primary school mathematics and science. One-on-one narrative interviews were conducted online with participants. Analysis identified three categories of parental engagement: monitors, facilitators, and enhancers. Parents in each category responded to their role in at-home learning differently, and accessed and activated different capital to support their child's at-home learning in mathematics during the pandemic. Results highlight the value of emotional capital, as well as knowledge of mathematics and mathematics education, with implications for schools hoping to engage parents in mathematics learning. The study offers a typology to be explored in future research concerning parental engagement in mathematics education.