A Comparison of the Mathematical Skills of First Graders with and without Preschool Education (original) (raw)
Related papers
2020
The aim of this study is to determine mathematical skills of 60-72 months old children attending preschool education and whether these skills make a significant difference in terms of gender, mother education, father education, number of siblings, duration of preschool education and socio-economic status of family. The research was designed with descriptive scanning model. The sample of the study consisted of 372 children, 60-72 months of age, who were randomly selected from each of official independent kindergartens of Ministry of National Education in Battalgazi and Yesilyurt districts of Malatya in 2018-2019 academic year. Early Childhood Mathematics Education Content Standards Scale was used as data collection tool. The data obtained from data collection tool were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis-H tests. As a result of research; It was found that mathematical skill levels of 60-72 months old children attending pre-school education institutions were above aver...
Mathematical Abilities of Preschool Children
World Journal of Educational Research, 2020
Regardless of the fact that people are born with innate sense of number, mathematical thinking requires certain intellectual effort for which many children are not ready. While children investigate and discover new issues in everyday life, they meet the world of mathematics although they are not aware of it. As mathematics is becoming more and more important in today's age of technology, it is very important that children are introduced to the spells of mathematics before they start attending school, and to continue to learn mathematics with that knowledge throughout school education. As well as reading, mathematics is a subject necessary for adequate functioning in society. What is more, mathematics is a subject that develops logical thinking and perception, thus mathematical teaching of children ought to be on more accessible level than it is currently. Parents and educators have access to various games and activities that involve children into mathematical thinking and creative resolving, which develops their self-confidence. Through the research that has been conducted with both preschool and primary school children using various mathematical examples appropriate for their age, it has been found out that the children of younger age have early math skills, whereas, regarding primary school children, their later math achievement is fading over time or their conclusions are grounded upon the "expected". The traditional way of teaching mathematics and extensive material can cause poor mathematical achievement and cause a well-known fear of mathematics.
“The Ministry of National Education [MONE] 2013 Preschool Education Program” constitutes a document in terms of learning outcomes, learning process and assessment aspects towards the abilities to bring through mathematical activities. By taking program development stages into consideration, “MONE 2013 Preschool Education Program” has been examined in terms of abilities which children would get through mathematical activities; in terms of learning outcomes, learning process and assessment aspects. When examining the relevant literature, it is seen that mathematical process abilities to bring by mathematical activities are designed as communication, connection (association), reasoning, problem solving and representation (visualization) (Kandır, Can Yaşar, Yazıcı, Türkoğlu and Yaman Baydar, 2016:56). These subdimensions of mathematical process abilities are the skills which affect every field of learning.
Determining the Mathematical Development of Children Attending Kindergartens
2014
The current study was carried out to determine the mathematical development levels of children attending a preschool education institution in terms of mathematical content. The research was conducted on 334 children between 60-72 months attending an independent kindergarten. The mathematical development level of children was measured through Progress in Math 6 Test. As a result of the analyses conducted, it was found that the success of the children for "Shapes-Space-Measurements" and "Data Analysis" categories were high in terms of the mathematical development levels of the children, while their success rates were lower than expected in the subgroup of processes at the "Numbers" category.
Preschool age includes the years when all developmental areas of the child are in a rapid change and progress. Children's learning experiences in this period develop a basis for the skills they will acquire in later years (Kıran, 2008). The required educational experiences that would allow preschool children to acquire certain behavioral patterns and support their development are developed by parents at home and by teachers in preschool education institutions. The development of children who could not benefit from these educational experiences is usually slow and children are destined to carry the traces of this negative condition throughout their lives (Aral et al., 2000). Furthermore, preschool education improves the development of the emotions and perception of the children. It helps the child in reasoning and causality processes. It helps the society to assimilate cultural values by educating the child in a social environment based on general cultural values (Şahin, 2004). Thus, the aim of the present study was to analyze mathematics achievement of children with and without preschool education and their attitudes towards mathematics based on the views of 1st grade teachers. The interview technique, a qualitative research method, was used in the present study. The study population included 1st grade primary school teachers employed in Ministry of National Education primary schools in Diyarbakır province, Turkey during the 2018-2019 academic year. The study sample included 82 randomly selected classroom teachers from the above-mentioned population. A semi-structured interview form developed by the authors was used to collect the study data. The data collection instrument included six open-ended questions. Content analysis was used to analyze the data collected in the study. The data collected in the interviews were categorized via coding for use in content analysis. The data were classified under these categories and the responses of the teachers to the interview questions were reviewed in detail, and similar answers were included in the same category. The expressions in teacher statements were categorized into themes. Furthermore, the collected data are presented with direct quotes. The study findings demonstrated that the students with preschool education had higher mathematics achievement and their attitudes towards mathematics course were more positive when compared to the students without preschool education. Furthermore, since preschool students' readiness, self-confidence, cognitive, psychomotor and language development skills were more advanced when compared to other students in the 1st grade mathematics course, it was observed that they were more interested and willing to answer questions, solve problems and produce creative solutions.
The Comparison of Students' Math Performance Based On Pre-School Courses
Journal of Exploratory Studies in Law and Management, 2016
This study compared the math performance of students in primary schools on the basis of preschool courses in District 1 of Bandar Abbas city. The statistical population of the study consisted of all first grade students in District 1 of education area of Bandar Abbas city. The sample volume size was determined through Cochran's formula. In accordance with the calculation formula, the sample size was equal to 117 subjects who were selected using purposive sampling and proportionate manner. Accordingly, to gather data, 2 math tests numbered as 1 and 2 are taken; test 1 includes the subjects taught at preschool course that are repeated at the first grade and test 2 includes the subjects that are taught at the first grade and are not taught at preschool course as the post test. After extracting data for analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results show that those students who have passes the preschool courses have better performance in math compared to those peers who have not passed the preschool course.
Determining the Mathematical Development of Children Attending
2014
The current study was carried out to determine the mathematical development levels of children attending a preschool education institution in terms of mathematical content. The research was conducted on 334 children between 60-72 months attending an independent kindergarten. The mathematical development level of children was measured through Progress in Math 6 Test. As a result of the analyses conducted, it was found that the success of the children for “Shapes-Space-Measurements” and “Data Analysis” categories were high in terms of the mathematical development levels of the children, while their success rates were lower than expected in the sub-group of processes at the “Numbers” category.
Creative Education, 2013
The purpose of this research is to determine the level of children's readiness for the first grade, in terms of mathematical and linguistic development. This research is quantitative and includes 466 children who were enrolled in the first grade in September 2011, as well as their parents. They belong to various schools in towns and villages of Kosovo. The sample was randomly selected. Children are assessed for their intellectual readiness, separately in mathematical and linguistic development through standardized measuring instrument by the "Brainline" author Joey Du Plooy. The questionnaire was translated and adapted. In this paper it will be focused only mathematical and linguistic development of children who have just started the first grade. Children are evaluated by a team of pedagogy who have been previously trained in the use of this questionnaire. Each child is individually assessed and the questions that were impossible to take from the children are taken from their parents. The survey results raise awareness about the importance of preschool institutionalized education and provide advices of the importance of preparing children for starting the first grade without fear and with self-esteem.
Investigation of Preschoolers' Mathematical Skills: A Systematic Literature Review
Educational Process International Journal, 2024
Awareness of the mathematical skills and knowledge children possess in their early years is widely accepted. This includes various common positive aspects, not only for educators but also for researchers and policymakers. This study presents a systematic review conducted to meticulously identify empirical studies published in the Scopus-Index Journal database about the mathematical skills children aged 3 to 8 years old have mastered. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and the research database comprised of Scopus-indexed journals. The technique followed used “keywords” and Boolean operators. The screening processes included reviewing abstracts, scanning complete texts of published articles, and rejecting those not meeting preset inclusion criteria. Moreover, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and papers not written in English were also excluded. Of the 801 studies initially identified, a total of 15 empirical studies were included in the systematic review. Children master various math skills from a very young age, mainly in “numbers and operations”, but face difficulties in skills related to “algebra” as well as “geometry and measurement”. Additionally, several preschoolers’ characteristics help to explain the acquisition of these skills, with “age” being the primary factor. Researchers use various research instruments and mainly conduct individual semi-structured interviews. Children’s geometry skills and knowledge appear to have been studied to a small extent. The areas of “measurement” and “data analysis and probability” were found to be under active investigation. It is worth noting that not only does a noticeable research gap exist for the math domains of “measurement,” “geometry,” and “data analysis and probability”. Factors that seem to affect young children’s math skills, such as “gender”, “parents’ educational level”, and “attendance to a preparatory preschool” need further investigation. The implications of the current study’s results extend beyond academia, providing valuable insights that educators and policymakers can leverage to enhance the quality of mathematics education during the early years period.
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of cognitive capabilities and flowing intelligence on mathematical proficiency of pre-school students, shortly before attending elementary school. Eighty kindergarten students participated in the survey. Student performance was assessed in terms of short term memory (auditory and verbal short-term memory, visual short-term, semantic and non-semantic memory), working auditory and visual memory, visual long-term memory, fluid intelligence and math performance. Based on the results, there was a strong positive correlation (,777) between verbal working memory and mathematical performance. Moderate positive correlation between mathematical performance and short-term memory, visual spatial working memory, visual long-term memory and fluid intelligence was also found. To identify which factors have predictive value for mathematical competence, regression analysis was used. It has been found that verbal working memory is an important factor in explaining mathematical competence. Combined with long-term visual spatial working memory, they can more accurately predict the level of mathematical performance. The results show that verbal working memory is the best predictor of mathematical performance. Visual long-term memory follows, and finally visual spatial working memory seems to have the lowest impact on a student’s mathematical performance.