Supporting the understanding of cardinal number knowledge in preschoolers: Evidence from instructional practices based on finger patterns
The acquisition of cardinal numbers represents a crucial milestone in the development of early numerical skills and more advanced math abilities. However, relatively few studies have investigated how children's grasping of the cardinality principle can be supported. It has been suggested that the richness of number inputs children receive influences the acquisition of cardinal numbers. The present study was designed to investigate whether canonical finger patterns representing numbers may contribute to this acquisition. Fifty-one 3-year-olds were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 training conditions: (a) a condition that involved counting and labeling, which has shown efficacy to support the acquisition of cardinality, and (b) a condition in which counting and labeling were enriched with finger patterns. Crucially, we aimed at providing evidence of both training programs in a real-life learning environment where teachers incorporated the training as a group-based activity into their regular schedule of daily activities. Children assigned to the finger-based condition outperformed those who received the counting-and-label training. Findings suggest that finger patterns may have a role in children's cardinality understanding. Furthermore, our study shows that instructional approaches for improving cardinality understanding can be easily and successfully implemented into real-life learning settings.
Numeral order and the operationalization of the numerical system
Recent years have witnessed an increase in research on how numeral ordering skills relate to children’s and adults’ mathematics achievement both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Nonetheless, it remains unknown which core competency numeral ordering tasks measure, which cognitive mechanisms underlie performance on these tasks, and why numeral ordering skills relate to arithmetic and math achievement. In the current study, we focused on the processes underlying decision-making in the numeral order judgement task with triplets to investigate these questions. A drift-diffusion model for two-choice decisions was fit to data from 97 undergraduates. Findings aligned with the hypothesis that numeral ordering skills reflected the operationalization of the numerical system, where small numbers provide more evidence of an ordered response than large numbers. Furthermore, the pattern of findings suggested that arithmetic achievement was associated with the accuracy of the ordinal representations of numbers.
Arithmetic word problem solving. Analysis of Singaporean and Spanish textbooks
The success or failure of education systems in promoting student problem-solving skills depends on attitudinal, political, and pedagogical variables. Among these variables, the design of mathematics textbooks is thought to partially explain why students from high-achieving countries show better problem-solving ability in international assessments. In the current study, we delved into this question and compared the frequency and characteristics of arithmetic word problems (AWPs) contained in primary school math textbooks in two countries with different levels of performance in international assessments—Singapore and Spain. In our analyses, we focused on (1) the quantity of arithmetic word problems, (2) the variety of problems in terms of their additive or multiplicative structures and semantic-mathematical substructures, and (3) the quantity and nature of illustrations that were presented together with arithmetic word problems. Although a larger proportion of AWP activities was found in Singaporean textbooks, the results showed a similar variety of AWPs in both Singaporean and Spanish math textbooks. Furthermore, in both countries, math textbooks emphasized the structures classified as (additive) combine 1 and (multiplication) simple rate in AWPs. Notably, the Singaporean textbook contained a larger percentage of illustrations that reflected the semantic-mathematical structures of the problems and helped students learn how to solve AWPs (e.g., bar models). The findings are discussed in light of theories that posit that textbooks constitute a fundamental part of the teaching–learning process in the classroom.
Cultural variability in finger representations / Variabilidad cultural en las representaciones con dedos
Finger representations are used to count or show quantities. How fingers are lifted to count and the type of representation that we use to communicate quantities have been the focus of studies that have aimed at providing evidence of dominant patterns across cultures. In the current study, we go beyond those studies and investigate intracultural variability. Specifically, whether finger counting habits and finger montring patterns are similar in children and adults. To this aim, a total of 3,210 Spaniard participants took part in this study (637 children and 2,573 adults). All of them were assessed regarding handedness, the way in which they counted with their fingers from 1 to 10 (finger counting) and how they show quantities with their fingers (finger montring). The results showed certain consistency; however, there was substantial variability within each group. Findings are interpreted within the context of current theories reinforcing the relevance of finger patterns to support the understanding of the meaning of numbers.