Core markers of arithmetic competence in preschool children (Marcadores nucleares de la competencia aritmética en preescolares)

The numerical and arithmetic skills are critical predictors of academic success. In current studies, it has been questioned what numerical skills relate with arithmetic achievement, whether the non-symbolic numerical magnitudes processing or the symbolic magnitudes processing. In the current study a sample of 104 preschool children was taken. They completed a non-symbolic numerical comparison task, a symbolic numerical comparison task and a dot enumeration task, as well as a standardized arithmetic performance test (TEMA-3). Moreover, general cognitive skills such as intelligence, processing speed, inhibitory control, memory span and visuo-spatial memory, were controlled. To test whether the variables of number processing predict in the absence of the above predictors, it was conducted a hierarchical regression analysis, taking the TEMA-3 as a dependent variable and introducing the other predictors and the numerical processing tasks in next steps. The model explained 65.5% of the variance. But only the symbolic magnitudes comparison and the enumeration contributed to the arithmetic achievement variance in absence of the control variables, while the non-symbolic magnitudes comparison did not contribute significantly. These results suggest that a good knowledge of symbolic numbers is important to the children's mathematical development, being particularly crucial the access to the magnitude from symbolic numbers more than the magnitude representation per se.

Publication year:2017

Accessibility:Open