A longitudinal analysis of estimation accuracy, counting skills and mathematical ability across the first school year

Muldoon, Kevin and Towse, John and Simms, Victoria and Perra, Oliver and Menzies, Victoria (2013) A longitudinal analysis of estimation accuracy, counting skills and mathematical ability across the first school year. Developmental Psychology, 49 (2). pp. 250-257. ISSN 0012-1649

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Abstract

In response to claims that the quality (and in particular linearity) of children’s mental representation of number acts as a constraint on number development, we carried out a longitudinal assessment of the relationships between number line estimation, counting, and mathematical abilities. Ninety-nine five-year-olds were tested on four occasions at three-monthly intervals. Correlations between the three types of ability were evident, but while the quality of children’s estimations changed over time, and performance on the mathematical tasks improved over the same period, changes in one were not associated with changes in the other. In contrast to the earlier claims that the linearity of number representation is potentially a unique contributor to children’s mathematical development, the data suggest that this variable is not significantly privileged in its impact over and above simple procedural number skills. We propose that both early arithmetic success and estimating skill are bound closely to developments in counting ability.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Developmental Psychology
Additional Information:
This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/psychology
Subjects:
?? psychologydemographylife-span and life-course studiesdevelopmental and educational psychology ??
ID Code:
52731
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
23 Feb 2012 15:25
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
26 Aug 2024 23:33