Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate which central mathematical skills children aged 2.9 years master, and how their skills have developed after two years, i.e. at the age of 4.9 years.
Result
Overall, the results show a large dispersion in the children's mathematical skills at the age of 2.9 years, whereas most of the children have a high level of mathematical skills at the age of 4.9 years. The study thus shows a significant development in the children's mathematical skills from the first to the second observation period. The authors find that the results are primarily consistent with results from previous research, but the results within counting and series of numbers and enumeration are slightly worse than expected. However, the results for two items within space and shape (doing a jigsaw puzzle) and mathematical language (following guidelines on positioning such as "under the bench") are slightly better than the results from previous research.
Design
The study is part of the Stavanger Project - The Learning Child (Stavangerprosjektet – Det lærende barnet) carried out by the Reading Centre at the University of Stavanger and the City of Stavanger. The data collection is based on structured observations of children's play and everyday activities in 86 municipal and private kindergartens in the City of Stavanger. The observations were carried out by the staff on the basis of the Mathematics, the Individual and the Environments (MIO) observational material. A total of 1003 children aged 2.9 years and 744 children aged 4.9 years were observed. The children were observed for two three-month periods within six mathematical areas: (1) space and shape, (2) pattern and order, (3) counting and series of numbers, (4) enumeration, (5) mathematical language, and (6) logical reasoning.
References
Reikerås, E. (2016). Central skills in toddlers’ and pre-schoolers’ mathematical development, observed in play and everyday activities. Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education 21(4), 57-77.
Financed by
Not stated