Purpose
The study investigates how to teach mathematics in kindergarten in a way that is meaningful for children, while at the same time safeguarding the key role of play in children’s learning. The researchers base their study on Hans Freudenthal’s concept of ‘mathematisation’, which describes how children learn to see the world through the lens of mathematics, and they investigate how this can be understood in a kindergarten context.
Result
The researchers identify three key factors that seem to stimulate mathematisation in children’s play: children’s agency (the opportunity to take initiative), familiarity with the structure of the play, and an emerging mathematical understanding. The study concludes that kindergarten teachers play a crucial role in facilitating mathematisation in play by being an active participant providing children with the space to explore and use mathematics in meaningful ways. The study provides insight into factors that promote and inhibit mathematisation in play.
Design
The study uses observation as a method for data collection and has a qualitative research design. The sample consists of 27 children aged 1 to 3 years from three different kindergartens in Sweden. Video observations of three different play activities were conducted, all of which were designed to promote children’s numeric understanding. A total of 94 observations were collected from the three kindergartens.
References
Björklund, C., & Palmér, H. (2023). Matematisering i lek på vetenskaplig grund. Nordisk Barnehageforskning, 20(2), 29–50.