Att utmana barns taluppfattning i en matematikaktivitet i förskolan.

The purpose of the study is to show what it is possible to experience about numbers in a sharing activity with two three-year-old children in kindergarten. The research question is: What aspects of numbers appear in a sharing activity between kindergarten teachers and three-year-olds?

The results show that children need to have some understanding of numbers and what they can do with numbers in order to participate in the activity. The analysis of children's conversations and the use of numbers in the activity reveals four important aspects: (1) To understand what constitutes a group, (2) To see parts that make up a whole, (3) To understand the relationship between parts and wholes, and (4) To represent numbers in different ways. The role of the kindergarten teacher in contrasting and generalising these aspects is crucial for children's understanding of numbers.

The activity the children were presented with was a part-part-whole activity where they were asked to suggest ways of dividing a certain number of objects. The activity was carried out five times and was filmed without the researchers being present in the room. The video material was then transcribed, particularly with regard to gestures and actions that had a bearing on how the children perceived the content around which they interacted.

Johansson, S., Björklund, C. & Kultti, A. (2021). "Att utmana barns taluppfattning i en matematikaktivitet i förskolan". Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 26(1):31–52.