Development Of Numeracy Skills Research Articles

Development of numeracy skills: Analysis of students in junior high schools in Ambon City based on teacher's perspective

Numeration is important as it is a fundamental skill, but based on the evaluation of the Programme for International Student Assessment, showed that the student's numeration ability is still low. This study aims to analyze the various problems that occur in the development of numeration skills of high school students. The research was carried out at the Catholic High School in Ambon, with the subject of the research being teachers of mathematics and non-mathematics. This research is qualitative research using methods of narrative inquiry. Data collection techniques include questionnaires, interviews, and recording and documentation. The results of this research indicate that there are a number of issues with developing numeracy skills, one of which is the lack of implementation of classic game-based learning strategies. School facilities are inadequate to encourage increased student numeracy. The implementation of training for teachers to improve teacher numeracy is still rare, so it affects the lack of innovation of teachers in teaching by applying games as well as traditional games to improve numeracy.

A Multi-Informant Approach Testing an Expanded Home Numeracy Mode

The role of home numeracy activities in the development of numeracy skills is receiving growing interest, although some mixed results highlight the need to consider models that include different contextual variables. The present study was aimed at investigating, using a multi-method and multi-informant approach, how parents’ educational levels, parents’ numerical attitudes, home numeracy, and expectations toward their offspring’s numeracy attitudes concurrently predict children’s early numeracy abilities as measured with early numeracy tasks and through teachers’ evaluations. The sample includes 430 preschoolers, their parents, and 56 teachers. The children’s early numeracy competence was assessed using digit recognition and digit-quantity association tasks and via a proxy-report questionnaire administered to their teachers. The parents were then administered a questionnaire investigating their educational levels, home numeracy activities, math attitudes, and expectations toward their child’s numeracy ability. The results of the structural equation models revealed that both children’s performance in numeracy tasks and the teachers’ evaluation of their math skills were directly predicted by their parents’ educational levels. In contrast, the parents’ math attitudes were indirect predictors via the mediation of home numeracy. These results contribute to understanding the relationships between the investigated environmental variables and the children’s early math skills. Additionally, the implications for early family-based interventions are discussed.

How effective are computer or tablet-based mathematical interventions in improving numeracy skills in young children?

The importance of numeracy has been widely acknowledged as a foundation for lifelong learning, which must be harnessed from an early age to support young people’s success in the wider curriculum and other activities beyond the classroom (Ofsted, 2018). One tool to encourage numeracy skill development in young children is the use of computer or tablet-based mathematical interventions, using app technology to support teaching staff in creating an accessible and active learning environment. The current systematic literature review explored how effective computer or tablet-based mathematical interventions are in improving numeracy skills in young children. Five papers were selected for meeting the inclusion criteria and were evaluated to facilitate the critical review of the evidence.The studies focused on numeracy skill outcomes following the use of a computer or tablet-based mathematical intervention implemented in the classroom. Analysis of each paper revealed small and large effect sizes, pooled to give an overall small, non-significant effect size in a meta-analysis. Conclusions about the effectiveness of computer or tablet-based mathematical interventions are limited, which is discussed alongside suggested areas for future research.

Card game as a pedagogical tool for numeracy skills development

<p><span lang="EN-US">Given the hypothesis that card games form a strong tool capable of shaping the aforementioned interest, this study has developed a card game called Math Zap as a pedagogical tool for numeracy skills development in the context of mental computation. It is geared towards investigating the efficacy of this Math Zap card game, in facilitating the development of numeracy skills amongst learners, and their attitude towards using it as a pedagogical tool. A mix method approach using an experimental and descriptive design was taken and tested amongst 34 primary school students aged 12 to 13. From the results of the study, it is found that the Math Zap card game is a highly effective learning tool in so far as the enhancement of students’ numeracy computation skills in the areas of fractions, percentages and decimals are concerned. This is evidenced by a statistical significant pre-post test score increment. Furthermore, students were rather positive and receptive towards the game, further substantiating the claim of it being a useful pedagogical tool.</span></p>

Infants' and Toddlers' Language, Math and Socio-Emotional Development: Evidence for Reciprocal Relations and Differential Gender and Age Effects.

Toddlerhood is characterized by rapid development in several domains, such as language, socio-emotional behavior and emerging math skills all of which are important precursors of school readiness. However, little is known about how these skills develop over time and how they may be interrelated. The current study investigates young children’s development at two time points, with about 7 months in between, assessing their language, socio-emotional and math language and numeracy skills with teacher ratings. The sample includes 577 children from 18 until 36 months of age of 86 childcare classrooms. The results of the autoregressive path analyses showed moderate to strong stability of language, socio-emotional and math language and numeracy skills, although the magnitude of associations was smaller for the latter. The cross-lagged path analyses highlighted the importance of language and socio-emotional skills for development in the other domains. Differential relations were found for the autoregressive and cross-lagged paths depending on gender and age. Language skills appeared a stronger predictor of boys’ socio-emotional and math language and numeracy skill development compared to girls. Girls’ socio-emotional skills predicted growth in math. For boys, socio-emotional and math language and numeracy skills appeared to be unrelated. Language skills showed stronger relations with the development of math language and numeracy skills for younger children as compared to older children. Also, for older children math language and numeracy skills negatively predicted growth in their socio-emotional skills. The findings provide more insights in how language, math language and numeracy skills and socio-emotional skills co-develop in the early years and as such have important implications for interventions aimed to support children’s development.

Contextualising numeracy skill development and assessment in a first year undergraduate nursing subject: A mixed methods research study

BackgroundUndergraduate nursing students continue to perform poorly on clinically-related numeracy tasks, making errors that betray fundamental misconceptions about the underlying mathematics. Graduate nurses are also prone to error in this area but they have the benefit of performing their calculations in a real-world setting with the assistance of colleague nurses if required. These conditions are difficult to simulate in a classroom environment, but when effort is made in this direction the effects can be rewarding for students and educators. ObjectivesTo investigate the effect on undergraduate nursing students' learning experience and test performance of a practical, clinically contextualised numeracy workshop featuring individual and collaborative modes of assessment. DesignA mixed methods study using pre and post tests and a survey. SettingsClinical practice classrooms at an Australian university. ParticipantsFirst year undergraduate nursing students undertaking a subject whose curriculum features medication safety and clinically-related numeracy. MethodsAdministration of individual and collaborative short-answer pre and post tests, a survey, and facilitation of team-based, clinically-related numeracy activities over a 1.5 h workshop. All test marking, data collection and analysis were performed by the authors. ResultsPositive responses to survey questions probing students' judgement of the effect of contextualised learning on their confidence, engagement and proficiency in nursing numeracy, as well as the value of working in a clinical setting. Significant improvement in students' performance in pre/post tests. ConclusionsContextualised, practical and collaborative learning and assessment of nursing numeracy is valued by students and has a positive effect on their experience and performance in the content area.

Number processing skill trajectories in children with specific language impairment.

A number of contrasting hypotheses have been put forward concerning mathematical performance deficits in children with specific language impairment (SLI). However, debate as to the nature of this deficit continues. The present study analyzed whether the trajectories of SLI-children may be attributed to the use of symbolic vs. linguistic assessment tasks, or to a deficit in the magnitude system. SLI-children (N=20) and typically achieving children (N=20) were monitored between kindergarten and first grade. Four tasks were designed, each with varying demands on language, symbolic, and domain-specific skills. The groups only differed in the trajectories of those numerical tasks involving high language demand. These findings indicate that SLI children present an early deficit in the development of numerical skills that require retrieval from long term memory and articulation of a phonological representation. Number skills involving greater language demand should be included as part of SLI early detection and intervention protocols.

Mathematical Competence Scale (MCS) for Primary School: The Psychometric Properties and the Validation of an Instrument to Enhance the Sustainability of Talents Development through the Numeracy Skills Assessment

The adequate development of the numeracy skills is a target of the fourth of the Sustainable Development Goals and is considered the basis for a financial literacy: both are competences needed for successful social and professional inclusion. Building on these goals, we carried out a unidimensional Mathematical Competence Scale (MCS) for primary school. The aim of this study was to present the psychometric properties and the validation process of MCS, designed basing on Item Response Theory. The final version of the scale, which measures different domains of mathematical knowledge (Data Analysis and Relationships, Geometry, Dimensions and Measurements, Numbers and Calculations), was validated on the entire population of 2935 fourth graders in Ticino Canton, Switzerland. The results reveal the high level of correlation between the six mathematical dimensions and confirm the assumption of a latent “mathematical construct”. However, even the multidimensional model could be considered a good model because it fitted the data significantly better than the one-dimensional model. In particular, the differences of the deviance between the two models are significant (χ2 (20) = 642.66, p < 0.001). Moreover, findings show a significant gender effect and a positive correlation between students’ actual school performance during the same academic year and MCS scores. MCS allows a reading of the learning and teaching process in the perspective of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development and helps a teacher to sustain student talent through the development of numeracy skills; in fact, the scale is intended both as an assessment tool and an innovative approach for shaping the development of curriculum, and therefore has potential to serve as a bridge between empirical research, classroom practice and a positive (school and professional) career development.

Relations among language comprehension, oral counting, and numeral knowledge of ethnic and racial minority young children from low-income communities

This study examined the relationship between language comprehension (receptive, expressive) and numeracy skills (oral counting, number identification, number relations) in a longitudinal sample of ethnic and racial minority (Black=86%; Latino=14%) children from low-income communities. Participants were n=79 children between 1.42 to 3.42 years when early language skills were assessed, and between 4.5 to 6.33 years when school-age language and numeracy skills were assessed. Results indicated strong correlations between language and numeracy skills, independent of age and sex. Components of language comprehension were shown to positively predict numeracy outcomes. The results of subsequent mediation analyses revealed that language comprehension was indirectly related to number identification and number relations through oral counting. The findings are consistent with the perspective that linguistic skills serve as a pathway for the development of numeracy skills. This study adds to the literature by demonstrating the importance of general language comprehension measured in the first few years of life for school-age numeracy skills with a sample of children living in poverty. Implications for early childhood education and future research regarding cross-domain learning and development are discussed.

Relations between preschoolers’ mathematical language understanding and specific numeracy skills

Understanding of mathematical language is critical for numeracy skill development. However, prior research has focused exclusively on relations between mathematical language and numeracy skills, broadly measured. Thus, the aim of the current study was to explore more targeted relations between preschoolers’ mathematical language and specific numeracy skills (e.g., cardinality, numeral comparison). The participants were 124 preschoolers aged 3.52 to 6.03 years (M = 4.78 years, SD = 0.53). Children were assessed on a battery of early numeracy skills and mathematical language as well as expressive vocabulary. Mixed-effects regression models were conducted, with school as a random effect and age, gender, and parental education as fixed effects covariates. Results indicated that mathematical language was significantly related to most numeracy skills, including verbal counting, one-to-one correspondence, numeral identification, cardinality, comparisons of sets and/or numerals, ordering numerals, and story problems. As hypothesized, mathematical language was not significantly related to either subitizing or formal addition because these skills are independent of general language ability. Importantly, mathematical language was generally more proximal to each of these numeracy skills than was general language. These results provide direction for future research, in particular for the development of more precise measures to identify children at risk for mathematics difficulties as well as the incorporation of focused mathematical language instruction within early mathematics interventions.

Spatial and Verbal Routes to Number Comparison in Young Children.

The ability to compare the numerical magnitude of symbolic numbers represents a milestone in the development of numerical skills. However, it remains unclear how basic numerical abilities contribute to the understanding of symbolic magnitude and whether the impact of these abilities may vary when symbolic numbers are presented as number words (e.g., “six vs. eight”) vs. Arabic numbers (e.g., 6 vs. 8). In the present study on preschool children, we show that comparison of number words is related to cardinality knowledge whereas the comparison of Arabic digits is related to both cardinality knowledge and the ability to spatially map numbers. We conclude that comparison of symbolic numbers in preschool children relies on multiple numerical skills and representations, which can be differentially weighted depending on the presentation format. In particular, the spatial arrangement of digits on the number line seems to scaffold the development of a “spatial route” to understanding the exact magnitude of numerals.

Numerosity representation is encoded in human subcortex

Certain numerical abilities appear to be relatively ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, including the ability to recognize and differentiate relative quantities. This skill is present in human adults and children, as well as in nonhuman primates and, perhaps surprisingly, is also demonstrated by lower species such as mosquitofish and spiders, despite the absence of cortical computation available to primates. This ubiquity of numerical competence suggests that representations that connect to numerical tasks are likely subserved by evolutionarily conserved regions of the nervous system. Here, we test the hypothesis that the evaluation of relative numerical quantities is subserved by lower-order brain structures in humans. Using a monocular/dichoptic paradigm, across four experiments, we show that the discrimination of displays, consisting of both large (5-80) and small (1-4) numbers of dots, is facilitated in the monocular, subcortical portions of the visual system. This is only the case, however, when observers evaluate larger ratios of 3:1 or 4:1, but not smaller ratios, closer to 1:1. This profile of competence matches closely the skill with which newborn infants and other species can discriminate numerical quantity. These findings suggest conservation of ontogenetically and phylogenetically lower-order systems in adults' numerical abilities. The involvement of subcortical structures in representing numerical quantities provokes a reconsideration of current theories of the neural basis of numerical cognition, inasmuch as it bolsters the cross-species continuity of the biological system for numerical abilities.

Is the ANS linked to mathematics performance?

Leibovich et al. argue persuasively that researchers should not assume that approximate number system (ANS) tasks harness an innate sense of number. However, some studies have reported a causal link between ANS tasks and mathematics performance, implicating the ANS in the development of numerical skills. Here we report a p-curve analysis, which indicates that these experimental studies do not contain evidential value.

Continuity and change in children's longitudinal neural responses to numbers.

Human children possess the ability to approximate numerical quantity nonverbally from a young age. Over the course of early childhood, children develop increasingly precise representations of numerical values, including a symbolic number system that allows them to conceive of numerical information as Arabic numerals or number words. Functional brain imaging studies of adults report that activity in bilateral regions of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) represents a key neural correlate of numerical cognition. Developmental neuroimaging studies indicate that the right IPS develops its number-related neural response profile more rapidly than the left IPS during early childhood. One prediction that can be derived from previous findings is that there is longitudinal continuity in the number-related neural responses of the right IPS over development while the development of the left IPS depends on the acquisition of numerical skills. We tested this hypothesis using fMRI in a longitudinal design with children ages 4 to 9. We found that neural responses in the right IPS are correlated over a 1-2-year period in young children whereas left IPS responses change systematically as a function of children's numerical discrimination acuity. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that functional properties of the right IPS in numerical processing are stable over early childhood whereas the functions of the left IPS are dynamically modulated by the development of numerical skills.

Inter-parietal white matter development predicts numerical performance in young children

In an effort to understand the role of interhemispheric transfer in numerical development, we investigated the relationship between children's developing knowledge of numbers and the integrity of their white matter connections between the cerebral hemispheres (the corpus callosum). We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography analyses to test the link between the development of the corpus callosum and performance on symbolic and non-symbolic numerical judgment tasks. We were especially interested in the interhemispheric connections of parietal cortex in 6-year-old children, because regions of parietal cortex have been implicated in the development of numerical skills by several prior studies. Our results revealed significant structural differences between children and adults in the fibers of the corpus callosum connecting the left and right parietal lobes. Importantly, these structural differences were predictive of individual differences among children in performance on numerical judgment tasks: children with poor numerical performance relative to their peers exhibited reduced white matter coherence in the fibers passing through the isthmus of the corpus callosum, which connects the parietal hemispheres.

Home and preschool learning environments and their relations to the development of early numeracy skills

Preschool quality Home learning environment Numeracy skills Longitudinal study International childcare perspectives Cognitive development a b s t r a c t This study examined the influence of the quality of home and preschool learning environments on the development of early numeracy skills in Germany, drawing on a sample of 532 children in 97 preschools. Latent growth curve models were used to investigate early numeracy skills and their development from the first (average age: 3 years) to the third year (average age: 5 years) of preschool. Several child and family background factors (e.g., gender, maternal education, socioeconomic status), measures of the home learning environment (e.g., literacy- and numeracy-related activities), and measures of preschool structural and process quality (e.g., ECERS-E, ECERS-R) were tested as predictors of numeracy skills and their development. The analyses identified child and family background factors that predicted numeracy skills in the first year of preschool and their development over the three points of measurement—particularly gender, parental native language status (German/other), socioeconomic status, and mother’s educational level. The quality of the home learning environment was strongly associated with numeracy skills in the first year of preschool, and this advantage was maintained at later ages. In contrast, the process quality of the preschool was not related to numeracy skills at the first measurement, but was significantly related to development over the period observed. The results underline the differential impact of the two learning environments on the development of numeracy skills. Interaction effects are explored and discussed.

E-Support4U: An evaluation of academic writing skills support in practice

The Faculty of Society and Health at Buckinghamshire New University is committed to the widening participation agenda and to providing support that enables our students to achieve the requirements of the programme and registration. Literacy and numeracy skill development is an integral part of the academic modules of our current pre-registration curriculum. E-Support4U was launched in semester two of 2008 with the aim of extending academic writing support beyond the confines of the University and into the practice arena. Evaluation of the project tentatively suggests that the scaffold approach to academic writing, based on Salmon’s 5-stage framework, may have contributed to a 100% pass rate for the reflective practice-based assignment for this cohort of students. However, participants experienced issues around access; differing levels of IT skills, dispersed placements that contributed to a lack of active collaboration within the group. Recommendations include early introduction of blended learning and incorporation of web 2.0 technology into the curriculum.

Messy numbers!

This article tackles the development of numeracy skills through different messy mediums. Exploring and handling a variety of materials will provide lots of spontaneous opportunities for talking about volume and capacity and children will enjoy pouring, mixing and measuring while they make a mess. Lots of generic mark making activities can also be adapted to practice forming numbers and shapes

Milestones in the development of infant numeracy.

This article deals with the development of numeracy among young children of the four to seven year age group. The research investigation described had two aims: to see how early numeracy develops in children of different ages; and to see whether there are fixed points which might serve as milestones in the development of infant numeracy. The results of this investigation involving 96 children indicate a strong development of numeracy skills during this period. With reference to the literature, it is also shown that certain items of a test previously developed for this purpose may be taken as core items that do indeed represent milestones in the development of infant numeracy.

Numeracy needs ofthe beginning Registered Nurse

The literature indicates: Nursing students demonstrate serious numeracy skills deficits. Consensus that such skills are necessary, particularly for medication administration. Diagnostic testing and remediation are desirable, or basic mathematics is pre-requisite for entry into nursing courses. Calculation skills mastered at one point in time diminish if ongoing practise is not maintained. The frequency with which nurses perform drug calculation in the clinical setting is decreasing. This study aimed to identify and analyze numeracy skills required by beginning registered nurses to facilitate development of numeracy skills by nursing students. A convenience sample of metropolitan and rural health care facilities in New South Wales (NSW) was selected. Within each facility an area where nursing graduates customarily work was selected. Numeracy input required to complete patients' charts was identified. Additional counting, measuring or computation the nurses performed was also identified. Except for paediatric areas, the frequency with which a nurse has to perform other than a simple calculation in order to administer a medication, or calculate a per minute drip rate is low. However, the necessity to calculate drug doses does exist. Creative ideas are needed to enable nurses to do this accurately. Three general approaches are suggested. A number of recommendations are presented.