Early Mathematics Performance Research Articles

The causal role of numerical and non-numerical order processing abilities in the early development of mathematics skills: Evidence from an intervention study

Understanding the basis of mathematical development is essential for supporting mathematics learning and to develop efficient interventions for remediating early problems. In the past decade, evidence has accumulated in support of the importance of ordering skills (i.e., tasks that tap into children's ability to recall the order of items or to judge the correctness of the order of items) in predicting early mathematics performance. Nevertheless, so far these studies have only provided correlational evidence, and intervention studies are lacking. The aim of the current study was to fill this gap by investigating the potential causal role of three types of ordering abilities (number ordering, daily event ordering and order working memory) in the development of mathematics skills during the first year of primary school. Children participated in six brief training sessions over a three-week period, and their mathematics skills and mathematics anxiety were measured before and after the training. In addition to the three training conditions, an active control group was also involved, with children completing reading comprehension exercises. Our findings showed that children's performance improved substantially on all ordering tasks as a result of training. Additionally, training in daily event ordering and number ordering has led to large increases in children's formal mathematics skills. Mathematics anxiety was not affected by the interventions. The current results provide initial evidence for the usefulness of order processing training in developing children's early mathematics skills. They also show that these results are not specific to the domain of numerical ordering.

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.

Early mathematical performance of deaf and hard of hearing toddlers in family-centred early intervention programmes

ABSTRACT Research indicates that establishing a strong foundation in early mathematics is essential for later academic learning. Previous research with students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) has shown varying differences in the performance and achievement when compared to typically hearing (TH) students. While the majority of research in this area has been conducted in the United States, studies in other countries suggest that these differences may be global. The present study investigated the early mathematics abilities of 3-year-old DHH children enrolled in family-centred early intervention in the Netherlands. Fifty-three DHH and TH children were given an adapted version of the Early Mathematics Performance Diagnostic. Results showed that on average, the DHH and the TH children performed similarly on all domains, except for Measurement. Likewise, both groups showed similar mathematical knowledge in most early mathematics tasks measuring sub-concepts such as counting objects, shape matching, or measuring weight. Differences were identified in some basic tasks measuring the sub-concepts (e.g. rote counting, measuring time, solving puzzles), however, not on the more advanced tasks measuring these same sub-concepts. These findings are important for parents, teachers, and early interventionists.

Patterns of symbolic numerical magnitude processing and working memory as predictors of early mathematics performance

Although the roles of symbolic numerical magnitude processing (SNMP) and working memory (WM) in mathematics performance are well acknowledged, studies examining their joint effects are few. Here, we investigated the profiles of SNMP (1- and 2-digit comparison) and WM (verbal, visual and central executive) among Norwegian first graders (N = 256), and how these predict performance in counting, arithmetic facts and word problem–solving. Using latent class cluster analysis, four groups were identified: (1) weak SNMP (33.6%), (2) strong SNMP (25.8%), (3) weak SNMP and WM (23.4%) and (4) strong WM (17.2%). Group differences in mathematics performance were significant with explained variance ranging from 7 to 16%, even after controlling for relevant demographics and domain-general cognitive skills. Our findings suggest that children may display relative strengths in SNMP and WM, and that they both have a unique, even compensatory role in mathematics performance.

Kindergarten children's symbolic number comparison skills relates to 1st grade mathematics achievement: Evidence from a two-minute paper-and-pencil test

Basic numerical skills provide an important foundation for the learning of mathematics. Thus, it is critical that researchers and educators have access to valid and reliable ways of assessing young children's numerical skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concurrent, predictive, and incremental validity of a two-minute paper-and-pencil measure of children's symbolic (Arabic numerals) and non-symbolic (dot arrays) comparison skills. A sample of kindergarten children (Mage = 5.86, N = 439) were assessed on the measure along with a number line estimation task, a measure of arithmetic, and several control measures. Results indicated that performance on the symbolic comparison task explained unique variance in children's arithmetic performance in kindergarten. Longitudinal analyses demonstrated that both symbolic comparison and number line estimation in kindergarten were independent predictors of 1st grade mathematics achievement. However, only symbolic comparison remained a unique predictor once language skills and processing speed were taken into account. These results suggest that a two-minute paper-and-pencil measure of children's symbolic number comparison is a reliable predictor of children's early mathematics performance.

Strategies to Encourage Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Discussions and Brainstorming Promote Stronger Performance

ABSTRACTThis longitudinal study examined the influence of prekindergarten teacher characteristics and classroom instructional processes during mathematical activities on the growth of mathematics learning scores in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade. Participants attended state-funded and Head Start prekindergarten programs. Mathematical performance was measured in fall and spring in prekindergarten and spring in kindergarten and first grade using the Test of Early Mathematics Ability–3 (TEMA-3; Ginsburg & Baroody, 2003). Two dimensions of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; i.e., instructional learning formats and concept development; Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) were scored based on observed classroom mathematics activities. Teachers provided information about their education and years of prekindergarten teaching experience. Research Findings: Instructional processes that included elements of the CLASS concept development dimension, such as discussions and brainstorming to encourage children’s understanding, were related to growth of mathematics scores. Neither teacher characteristics nor instructional processes of the CLASS instructional learning formats dimension, such as using different modalities and materials, and learning objectives, were related to growth of mathematics scores. Practice or Policy: The findings extend our understandings of how instructional processes impact children’s early mathematical performance. These findings may be helpful in increasing our understanding of the types of instructional processes that might be emphasized in teacher professional development specifically related mathematical activities. Professional development that focuses on the CLASS concept development dimension may be easier for teachers to remember and implement in their classrooms and, consequently, have a greater impact on mathematics learning.

Home Numeracy Environments of Preschoolers: Examining Relations Among Mathematical Activities, Parent Mathematical Beliefs, and Early Mathematical Skills

Research Findings: Early mathematical skills and knowledge are strongly related to long-term achievement, and yet the knowledge base regarding the mechanisms through which young children develop these skills and knowledge is limited. Although research has examined the relation of the home numeracy environment and children's early mathematics performance, results have been equivocal. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: (a) to describe parent-reported home mathematical activities and beliefs about mathematics and (b) to examine the relation between these constructs and preschool-age children's general school readiness skills as well as specific numeracy-related skills. Practice or Policy: Descriptive results suggest that parents engage in a range of mathematical activities in the home with varying frequency. Furthermore, results indicate relations between parent-reported mathematical activities and beliefs, but no statistically significant relations with preschool children's early mathematics performance were demonstrated.

Finding the missing piece: Blocks, puzzles, and shapes fuel school readiness

Experiences with spatial toys such as blocks, puzzles, and shape games, and the spatial words and gestures they evoke from adults, have a significant influence on the early development of spatial skills. Spatial skills are important for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields [77] (e.g., Wai, Lubinski, Benbow and Steiger, 2010), and are related to early mathematics performance [48] (Mix and Cheng, 2012), as early as age 3 [73] (Verdine, Golinkoff et al., in press). This paper focuses on the effects of early spatial experiences and their impacts on school readiness, discusses factors that influence the amount and quality of spatial play, and suggests methods for providing a “spatial education” prior to school entry.

Early Mathematical Performance in Finnish Kindergarten and Grade One

The present study assessed Finnish kindergarten (N = 177, Mage = 76.4 months, SD = 3.7 months) and grade one (N = 178, Mage = 87.2 months, SD = 3.7 months) children’s mathematical skills in the beginning of the school year. The mathematical skills were assessed once using researcher-developed paper-pencil tests. The variance analysis (ANOVA) was used to study the effects of age and gender on performance level. Boys and girls performed similarly in both samples, but age effects were found in the kindergarten and first grade; older children performed higher than younger ones. The older children may have had more opportunities to practise and get acquainted with mathematical issues, as the age difference between the youngest and the oldest child in the classroom can be up to one year. Children performing at or below the 25th percentile in both samples showed significantly weaker performance in several mathematical skills (i.e., number word sequences, enumeration, and addition and subtraction), compared to other performance groups. On the other hand, many children already understood in the beginning of the school year much of what is considered in mathematics curriculum and materials in their forthcoming school year in the kindergarten or the first grade.

Inhibitory Processes, Working Memory, Phonological Awareness, Naming Speed, and Early Arithmetic Achievement

This study identified the cognitive processes that underlie the individual differences in early mathematical performance in elementary school children. Taking into account the Baddeley framework multicomponent model, the inhibitory processes, working memory, phonological awareness, and naming speed are considered to be related to early math learning. To examine this relationship, we compared the performance of a total of 424 typically developing middle-class children, aged between 4 and 7 years in a battery of cognitive and early numeric tests: The Utrecht Early Numeracy Test, the Rapid Automatized Naming Test, Spanish version of the Stroop task, the Numeracy Interference Test, Digit Span test, and Phonological Knowledge Test. The mean age of the participants was 72.21 months (sd = 14.8), and 48.6% were male and 51.4% were female. The results demonstrated that children performing worst on central executive, phonological processing, and inhibitory processes showed lower results in early mathematical tasks measured by The Utrecht Early Numeracy Test. Results supported the notion that the executive system is an important predictor of children's mathematical performance.

Language factors associated with achievement grouping in math classrooms: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study

The study examines the effects of classroom achievement grouping (AG) practices on the early mathematics performance of language-minority students and compares their mathematics achievement to that of English-speaking majority students. Using a nationally representative database of the USA, both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were done. In the cross-sectional analyses we explored the direct effect of grouping practice on students performance, while in the longitudinal analysis we looked at the growth trajectory in mathematics learning. The results of cross-sectional analyses indicated that the effect of AG was negative on the math achievement in 1st and 5th graders. The longitudinal analysis showed a significant negative effect of AG for English Language Learners (ELL). The paper provides the basis for practical guidelines for the grouping practices in mathematics.

Number Use at Home by Children and Their Parents and Its Relationship to Early Mathematical Performance

The purpose of this research was to measure the frequency and variety of number activities occurring in the homes of pre-school and kindergarten children and to determine if there was a relationship between those activities and the children's mathematical performance. In two studies, parents were interviewed over the telephone and asked how often their child or they and their child had engaged in each of 33 number-related activities over the last week. Both studies found considerable variability in the frequency and type of number activities that children participated in at home. There was a positive correlation between the frequency of number activities that parents reported for their children and parental participation in the same activities. In addition, in study 2, parental reports of children's number activities at home were predictive of children's performance on a standardized test of early mathematical ability.

Early Mathematics Performance and Achievement: Results of a Study Within a Large Suburban School System

Over the last decade, scholars, foundations, and government institutions such as the National Science Foundation have analyzed and delineated the problem of the underrepresentation of non-Asian minorities in mathematics. Noting the racial/ethnic group discrepancies in mathematics course enrollment, mathematics achievement, and mathematics career choices, investigators have attempted to identify the factors that influence participation and success in mathematics. Most studies of racial/ ethnic group differences have focused on the senior high school experience, and on those factors operating in the social and school environments of high school students, that influence the mathematics participation and performance of minority1 students. Those studies examining the early school experiences of students report large discrepancies in the performance of minority and majority students at the elementary school level that continue to expand through the high school years. Researchers have examined a wide range of factors to determine their effect on differential participation and achievement in mathematics. In addition to such factors as students' racial/ethnic group, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES), studies have investigated many other student, parent, and school variables. The literature summarizing these studies suggests some important variables that should be considered when attempting to explain differential mathematics participation among majority and minority students. The following studies are illustrative of the prevailing research.

The Role of Environmental Knowledge in Early Mathematical Performance

It is often said that the best way to teach mathematics is to expand upon the knowledge and skills children bring to school. The question which needs to be answered then is what are these skills and knowledge? The specific approach adopted here is a cross-cultural survey of the early environmental mathematical experience of children and the effects this experience has on their school performance. The focus will be on the non-industrialized world. This approach was adopted because the environmental experience of children in non-industrial countries is perhaps richer and more varied than the early environmental experience of children from industrialized nations. Customs, economic systems, habitats, and culture differ considerably in non-industrial nations and children are often exposed to adult functions at an early age. The paper is organized in the following manner. The first section examines mathematical knowledge which is explicitly acquired outside school. The second section will deal with mathematical knowledge which is implicitly acquired or implicitly available through participation in environmental activities. The third section will examine the role of environmental experience in a range of supplemental abilities which influence mathematical cognition. A note of caution needs to be kept in mind while reading this paper. The most comprehensive work on early mathematical knowledge comes from two disparate parts of the world, West Africa and Papua New Guinea. While these areas reflect complex and varied environments, they do not capture the range of economic, geographic and cultural diversity which exists in the world. Different environments and different responses to those environments may well develop different types of mathematical knowledge. Thus the conclusions drawn from the data should not be generalized too far. Rather they should be viewed as indications and possible trends.

National Differences in Scholastic Performance

Previous articleNext article No AccessIEA SymposiumNational Differences in Scholastic PerformanceAlex InkelesAlex Inkeles Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 23, Number 3Oct., 1979 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/446068 Views: 7Total views on this site Citations: 8Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1979 The Comparative and International Education SocietyPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Molapi Sebatane International Transfers of Assessment: Recent trends and strategies, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice 7, no.33 (Jun 2010): 401–416.https://doi.org/10.1080/09695940050201370Nelly McEwen Research news and Comments: Quality Criteria for Maximizing the Use of Research, Educational Researcher 21, no.77 (Jul 2016): 20–32.https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X021007020Robert Balfanz The Role of Environmental Knowledge in Early Mathematical Performance, Cultural Dynamics 1, no.22 (Jul 2016): 158–179.https://doi.org/10.1177/092137408800100203William T. Trent, Jomills Henry Braddock, Ronald D. Henderson Chapter 8: Sociology of Education: A Focus on Education as an Institution, Review of Research in Education 12, no.11 (Jun 2016): 295–336.https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X012001295 Stephen P. Heyneman , and William A. Loxley The Effect of Primary-School Quality on Academic Achievement Across Twenty-nine High- and Low-Income Countries, American Journal of Sociology 88, no.66 (Oct 2015): 1162–1194.https://doi.org/10.1086/227799M.K. Bacchus Towards a development strategy for education and educational research in third world countries, International Journal of Educational Development 3, no.22 (Jan 1983): 193–201.https://doi.org/10.1016/0738-0593(83)90025-1 Bibliography, (Jan 1983): 255–269.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-028915-1.50016-4 Bibliography on Comparative Education Research, (Jan 1982): 37–44.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-027934-3.50009-4