Early Mathematical Skills Research Articles

The associations between mathematical skills, cognitive performance, and language background in elementary school children. a two-year follow-up study

ABSTRACT Early mathematical skills contribute to later school performance and socio-economic status. Working memory is related to mathematical skills, but spatial and language skills have independent effects on separate areas of mathematical skills such as solving word problems or arithmetic skills. In this study, 9- to 10-year-old children's (N = 57) cognitive and mathematical skills were assessed three times over 2 years. Spatial reasoning was associated with performance in solving word problems and working memory with performance in the arithmetic test. Regarding word problems, girls outperformed boys. Also, the second-language learners performed similarly to the native speakers in the beginning and in the end of the third grade, but worse in the end of the fourth grade. The results suggest that the students’ inadequate mastery of the school language may lead to underachievement in mathematics, implying that further efforts should be invested in supporting their language learning.

Enhancing mathematical problem-solving ability through project-based learning: A study of vocational high school student

This study aims to improve the mathematical problem-solving ability of students at Vocational High School (VHS) through implementing Project Based Learning (PjBL). The research method used was a quasi-experiment with a matching-only pretest-posttest control group design, with a sample of 64 students divided into two classes, namely experimental and control classes, each consisting of 32 students. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling, where the sample was selected based on specific criteria relevant to the research objectives. Data were collected using tests of mathematical problem-solving ability administered before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the treatment. Data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test and a two-way ANOVA test with univariate general linear model (GLM) analysis. The results showed a difference between the experimental and control groups before the treatment. However, after the treatment, the experimental group had higher mathematical problem-solving ability than the control group, including the improvement and interaction between PjBL implementation and the Early Mathematics Skills (EMS) category.

Do home mathematical activities relate to early mathematical skills? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Children's foundational mathematical skills are critical for future academic attainment. While home mathematical activities (HMAs) have been proposed to support these skills, the extent to which engaging in them supports mathematical skills remains unclear. This preregistered systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis identified 351 effect sizes from 72 samples in 20 countries, exploring the relation between frequency of HMAs and mathematical skills in children aged 7 years and under (Mage = 61 months). A small significant positive relation was found (r = .13), moderated by risk of bias, with larger effects associated with a higher risk of bias. Specific ways the field can move forward are discussed to better understand the role of the home mathematical environment in early mathematics.

Analyzing teacher audio: The contribution of classroom mathematics instruction to early numeracy

The relation between mathematical achievement in early childhood and future academic success is well established. However, our knowledge about the effect of instruction on mathematical performance is often reliant upon self-report or videotaped instruction measures and standardized achievement assessments. The current study uses teacher audio recordings to examine the role of classroom mathematics instruction in the growth of adaptive early mathematical skills. Kindergarten children (N = 98, M(age) = 5.55 years, 53% male) were followed across the school year. Findings suggested children with the lowest levels of adaptive mathematics skills grew the most across the school year, suggesting that basic skills continue to be the focus in early elementary years. Further, no aspects of mathematics instruction predicted growth in children’s addition or counting skills. These results highlight the need for more robust and ecologically valid measurement in assessing classroom mathematics instruction in future research.

Remote assessment of the association between early executive function and mathematics skills

AbstractExecutive function (EF) skills are consistently associated with global mathematics assessments. However, less is known about which specific mathematics skills invoke EF in early childhood. We adapted batteries of EF, numerical, and patterning tasks to be conducted via synchronous video conferencing with typically developing 4‐year‐old children (N = 115, 56.6% female, 85.2% White, non‐Hispanic, 7.8% Multiracial, 0.9% Hispanic, 0.9% Black, 1.7% American Indian/Alaska Native, 2.6% Asian and 0.9% missing) from primarily upper middle class households (maternal education range: some college to graduate or professional degree, mode = graduate or professional degree) in the United States. We found feasibility of remote adaptation varied greatly by task. Just over half of enrolled children (57.02%) completed all tasks and there were higher rates of missingness compared to an in‐person sample with a similar age range collected in schools. Nonetheless, working memory predicted various mathematics skills, including patterning, verbal counting, and number comparison, controlling for age and maternal education. Relations between cognitive flexibility and patterning varied across model specifications. Overall, these findings provide insight into the costs and benefits of remotely administered direct assessments of EF and mathematics in early childhood and add to the growing body of literature suggesting working memory plays an important role in several foundational early mathematics skills. Suggestions are offered for remote assessment with preschoolers.Highlights Executive function and mathematics tasks were adapted for remote use and associations among skill sets were examined. Remotely administered data collection sessions had higher rates of missingness than comparable in‐person studies. Findings replicate and extend prior work on the associations between working memory and patterning, verbal counting, and number comparison in a remote setting.

The impact of early childhood education and mathematical abilities on student achievement: Analysis of TIMSS 2019

This paper is based on the analysis of the relationship between early education, mathematical skills, and student achievement in Bosnia & Herzegovina, using data from the trends in international mathematics and science study (TIMSS) 2019. The study involves 5,628 fourth-grade students whose average age was 10.1 years. The research specifically focuses on factors such as the age of students at the beginning of schooling, attendance at preschool institutions, and their mathematical skills before starting school. Through the application of SPSS analysis, insights into the statistical relationships and trends between these factors are provided, emphasizing the importance of early educational experiences to improve the quality of education in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The analysis results show that the length of stay in preschool institutions, attendance in preschool programs, and the early acquisition of mathematical skills (counting skills, recognition of numeral representations, numeral writing, simple addition, and subtraction) impact later mathematical achievements of students.

Preschool Teachers’ Perceived Efficacy Providing Mathematics Instruction to Young Children With and Without Disabilities: A Survey Study

Early mathematics skills are predictive of later achievement, but there is evidence teachers generally provide little mathematics instruction in preschool classrooms. We conducted this survey study to better understand teachers’ reported beliefs about their own mathematics skills, expectations, and practices for children with and without disabilities, and the impact of these reported beliefs and practices on the perceived effectiveness of their instruction. We found teachers had less confidence in their own mathematics skills than their mathematics teaching abilities and had differing expectations for children with and without disabilities. Their beliefs about their own mathematics abilities predicted their perceived effectiveness for typically developing children only, but their beliefs about their teaching abilities predicted their perceived effectiveness for children with and without disabilities. Implications include the need to better prepare and support teachers to teach mathematics to all children and collect data from varied sources on teachers’ practices.

Intervention effects on low performing preschoolers' early mathematical skills: Adding fundamental motor skill practice as a supporting method

BackgroundThis study examined the effects of (1) combined early numeracy and fundamental motor skills (MovEN), (2) early numeracy, and (3) fundamental motor skills intervention programs on children's early mathematical and fundamental motor skills, and how individual background variables affect the effectiveness of these interventions. ProcedureTogether 50 preschoolers participated in the interventions (16 × 45 min sessions). Children's early numeracy, mathematical problem-solving, and fundamental motor skills were measured once before and twice after the interventions. Main findingsThe results showed that the MovEN and early numeracy -interventions were effective in improving children's early numeracy, and mathematical problem-solving. Whereas the MovEN and fundamental motor skills interventions improved children's fundamental motor skills. From individual factors, only updating ability predicted the intervention's effectiveness over and above prior performance. ConclusionThe results suggest that children's early mathematical and fundamental motor skills can be supported effectively at the same time with the MovEN -intervention.

Enhancing Teachers’ Pedagogical Awareness of Teaching Early Mathematical Skills – A Mixed Methods Study of Tailored Professional Development Program

ABSTRACT The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore changes in pedagogical awareness of teaching early mathematical skills among teachers in early childhood education (N =7) when participating in a tailored professional development (PD) program in mathematics. The program, which was designed around principles of transformative learning, was aimed at strengthening the conscious and holistic teaching of early mathematical skills to 3- to 7-year-old children. Research Findings: Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed that teachers enhanced their pedagogical awareness of teaching early mathematical skills concerning developmentally appropriate mathematical content, child-initiated mathematical learning and holistic mathematical teaching in different daily situations and play. Data obtained from pre-PD and follow-up questionnaires completed by teachers confirmed a sustainable increase in their pedagogical awareness of numerical and spatial reasoning. Recognizing children’s interests, reflecting on and examining one’s own practices individually and collaboratively, and taking actions to develop teaching and learning practices aligned with those of the PD program comprised the foundation for the transformative process. Practice or Policy: It was concluded that PD programs in mathematics enhance teachers’ pedagogical awareness of teaching early mathematical skills holistically when they are tailored to the needs of teachers, include reflective elements, and follow principles of transformative learning.

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.

Effect of the Montessori Method Integrated with Collaborative Learning on Early Mathematical Reasoning Skills

Araştırmanın amacı, okul öncesi dönemde işbirlikli öğrenme ile bütünleştirilmiş Montessori Metodu'nun matematiksel muhakeme becerileri üzerindeki etkisini araştırmaktır. Çalışma grubu, deney grubunda 15, kontrol grubunda 15 olmak üzere toplam 30 çocuktan oluşmaktadır. Çalışma, deney grubunda işbirlikli öğrenme etkinlikleriyle bütünleştirilmiş Montessori Yöntemi destekli matematik öğretimi, kontrol grubunda ise MEB Okul Öncesi Öğretim Programı (2013) destekli matematik öğretimi ile yürütülmüştür. Veri toplama aracı olarak “Erken Matematiksel Akıl Yürütme Becerileri Değerlendirme Aracı” kullanılmış, veriler cinsiyet ve akıl yürütme değişkenleri doğrultusunda Mann-Whitney U Testi ile analiz edilmiştir. İşbirlikli öğrenme ile bütünleştirilmiş Montessori Yöntemi ile desteklenmiş Matematik dersi alan deney grubu öğrencileri ile MEB Okul Öncesi Öğretim Programı (2013) destekli Matematik dersi alan kontrol grubu öğrencilerinin performansları karşılaştırıldığında, deney grubu lehine anlamlı bir fark bulunmuştur. grup belirlendi. Ancak deney ve kontrol grubu öğrencilerinin muhakeme becerilerinde cinsiyete göre anlamlı bir farklılık saptanmamıştır.

Basic Symbolic Number Skills, but Not Formal Mathematics Performance, Longitudinally Predict Mathematics Anxiety in the First Years of Primary School.

Mathematical anxiety (MA) and mathematics performance typically correlate negatively in studies of adolescents and adults, but not always amongst young children, with some theorists questioning the relevance of MA to mathematics performance in this age group. Evidence is also limited in relation to the developmental origins of MA and whether MA in young children can be linked to their earlier mathematics performance. To address these questions, the current study investigated whether basic and formal mathematics skills around 4 and 5 years of age were predictive of MA around the age of 7-8. Additionally, we also examined the cross-sectional relationships between MA and mathematics performance in 7-8-year-old children. Specifically, children in our study were assessed in their first (T1; aged 4-5), second (T2; aged 5-6), and fourth years of school (T3; aged 7-8). At T1 and T2, children completed measures of basic numerical skills, IQ, and working memory, as well as curriculum-based mathematics tests. At T3, children completed two self-reported MA questionnaires, together with a curriculum-based mathematics test. The results showed that MA could be reliably measured in a sample of 7-8-year-olds and demonstrated the typical negative correlation between MA and mathematical performance (although the strength of this relationship was dependent on the specific content domain). Importantly, although early formal mathematical skills were unrelated to later MA, there was evidence of a longitudinal relationship between basic early symbolic number skills and later MA, supporting the idea that poorer basic numerical skills relate to the development of MA.

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.

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.

The Effect of Early Mathematical Ability and Mathematical Communication Ability on Mathematical Problem Solving Ability

This study aims to look at the relationship between early math skills and mathematical communication skills on students' math problem solving abilities. The population in this study amounted to 151 students and a sample of 110 students was taken using the slovin formula. This research uses quantitative methods. The research data was collected through a research instrument in the form of a written test, then processed and analyzed using path analysis techniques. The results of this study indicate that (1) there is a relationship between early mathematical ability and mathematical problem solving ability; (2) there is a relationship between mathematical communication skills and mathematical problem solving abilities;

Development and Evaluation of a Math Game Application for Toddlers: Enhancing Early Mathematical Skills through Digital Play

Development and Evaluation of a Math Game Application for Toddlers: Enhancing Early Mathematical Skills through Digital Play

Exploring the Use of Escribo Play Mobile Learning Games to Foster Early Mathematics for Low-Income First-Grade Children

Mobile games can foster the early mathematics skills of children in poverty at home. This randomized controlled trial examines the efficacy of Escribo Play, an evidence-based, game-enhanced early mathematics program with an initial pool of 2980 first-grade students from 267 classrooms in 132 schools located in Brazil. The intervention reached 47% of the children who installed and used the application. Students from 56 classrooms (20%) did not use the application. The intervention retained 51% of those who installed the application. Children of the experimental group who played Escribo Play advanced 2.27 times more than the increase of the control group for number identification, 2.78 times more in count-sequence, 1.73 times more in geometric shape, and 1.41 times more in spatial sense. The overall reduction in disparities between participants from pretest to posttest of the experimental group was 9.1 times higher than the control group, indicating that the intervention reduced learning inequality for those that played the games. The higher gains observed among those children who used Escribo Play may be attributed to its interactive nature, employing evidence-based instructional strategies with engaging and interactive content (i.e., animation and games). The cost per pupil is much lower than reported in 90% of other educational interventions. The application is easy to scale and provides learning gains for first-grade students.

Technology and early mathematics skills: Effectiveness of I Love Math with Robots

Technological tools facilitate mathematical learning and make children love mathematics, thanks to their structures and ways of working. In this context, educational robots appear as a very attractive alternative. Studies show that the use of these devices provides positive cognitive outcomes. This research aimed to investigate the effect of using robotic devices on the early math skills of preschool children. Participants consisted of 24 children aged between 50-68 months. In the study, quasi-experimental model was used. Children in the experimental group attended the 8-week “I Love Math with Robots” designed by the researchers whereas those in the control group engaged in activities without technologic robots including the same objectives. Early math skills of children in both groups were assessed individually before and after the intervention. The results indicated that changes in math scores of children in the experimental group were significantly different from those in the control group.

Relating metacognition and executive functions to early mathematical and language skills in children aged 4–5 years

Relating metacognition and executive functions to early mathematical and language skills in children aged 4–5 years

Triangulating on developmental models with a combination of experimental and nonexperimental estimates.

Plausible competing developmental models show similar or identical structural equation modeling model fit indices, despite making very different causal predictions. One way to help address this problem is incorporating outside information into selecting among models. This study attempted to select among developmental models of children's early mathematical skills by incorporating information about the extent to which models forecast the longitudinal pattern of causal impacts of early math interventions. We tested for the usefulness and validity of the approach by applying it to data from three randomized controlled trials of early math interventions with longitudinal follow-up assessments in the United States (Ns = 1,375, 591, 744; baseline age 4.3, 6.5, 4.4; 17%-69% Black). We found that, across data sets, (a) some models consistently outperformed other models at forecasting later experimental impacts, (b) traditional statistical fit indices were not strongly related to causal fit as indexed by models' accuracy at forecasting later experimental impacts, and (c) models showed consistent patterns of similarity and discrepancy between statistical fit and models' effectiveness at forecasting experimental impacts. We highlight the importance of triangulation and call for more comparisons of experimental and nonexperimental estimates for choosing among developmental models. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).