Spontaneous focusing on Arabic number symbols: A unique component of children's early mathematical development?

Children's spontaneous focusing on Arabic number symbols (SFONS) has been identified as a relevant component of their early mathematical development. This study investigated whether SFONS is a separate construct from spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) and examined whether it is uniquely...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inMathematical thinking and learning Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 281 - 295
Main Authors Rathé, Sanne, Torbeyns, Joke, Smedt, Bert De, Verschaffel, Lieven
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Routledge 01.10.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Child Development
children
Correlation analysis
Education
Factor analysis
Foreign Countries
Kindergarten
Language Aptitude
Language Skills
Mathematical analysis
Mathematics
Mathematics Achievement
Mathematics Education
Mathematics Skills
Number Concepts
Numbers
Numeracy
Regression analysis
Semitic Languages
Spatial Ability
spontaneous focusing on Arabic number symbols
spontaneous focusing on numerosity
Symbols
Symbols (Mathematics)
Young Children
Belgium
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Children's spontaneous focusing on Arabic number symbols (SFONS) has been identified as a relevant component of their early mathematical development. This study investigated whether SFONS is a separate construct from spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) and examined whether it is uniquely related to numerical abilities and mathematics achievement. Participants were 159 kindergartners (4-5-year-olds) who completed measures of SFONS, SFON, numerical abilities, mathematics achievement, spatial ability, and language ability. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a two-factor model representing a separate SFONS and SFON factor best fitted the data, indicating that SFONS is separate from SFON. Correlation and regression analyses showed that SFONS was associated with numerical abilities and mathematics achievement. These associations - except for verbal counting - remained after controlling for age, parental education, spatial ability, language ability, and SFON. These findings suggest that SFONS is a unique component of early mathematical development that deserves attention in early mathematics education.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:1098-6065
1532-7833
DOI:10.1080/10986065.2020.1848273