The Developmental Relationship Between Language and Low Early Numeracy Skills Throughout Kindergarten

The relationship between basic oral language and early numeracy has been studied extensively, but results hardly include kindergartners’ math language, which might mediate this relationship. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of basic language skills—specifically, math language and low early numeracy. Dutch children (4–5 years old; N = 1,030) were screened for having low early numeracy skills, and low performers (n = 199) were followed for 2 years and tested four times throughout kindergarten. The development of general language skills and early numeracy were investigated with latent growth modeling, revealing a significant mutual relationship. Further, the relationship between basic language and early numeracy was mediated by kindergartners’ specific math language, suggesting that specific math language has a key role in the early numeracy learning process.

[1]  A. Desoete,et al.  Can we predict mathematical learning disabilities from symbolic and non-symbolic comparison tasks in kindergarten? Findings from a longitudinal study. , 2012, The British journal of educational psychology.

[2]  Sanne H. G. van der Ven,et al.  Executive Functions as Predictors of Math Learning Disabilities , 2011, Journal of learning disabilities.

[3]  H. Roeyers,et al.  Children with Mathematics Learning Disabilities in Belgium , 2004, Journal of learning disabilities.

[4]  J. V. Van Luit,et al.  Early Numeracy Intervention for Low-Performing Kindergartners , 2012 .

[5]  Justin Halberda,et al.  The Development of “Most” Comprehension and Its Potential Dependence on Counting Ability in Preschoolers , 2008 .

[6]  J. Sideris,et al.  Longitudinal predictors of reading and math trajectories through middle school for African American versus Caucasian students across two samples. , 2010, Developmental psychology.

[7]  Peter Tymms,et al.  The First Year at School: A Quantitative Investigation of the Attainment and Progress of Pupils∗ , 1997 .

[8]  H. Roeyers,et al.  Detecting Children With Arithmetic Disabilities From Kindergarten: Evidence From a 3-Year Longitudinal Study on the Role of Preparatory Arithmetic Abilities , 2010, Journal of learning disabilities.

[9]  L. Aiken.  Language Factors In Learning Mathematics , 1972 .

[10]  D. Mackinnon.  Introduction to Statistical Mediation Analysis , 2008 .

[11]  M. Mazzocco,et al.  Cognitive Characteristics of Children With Mathematics Learning Disability (MLD) Vary as a Function of the Cutoff Criterion Used to Define MLD , 2007, Journal of learning disabilities.

[12]  J. Carta,et al.  Predicting School Readiness for Low-Income Children with Disability Risks Identified Early , 2011 .

[13]  J. M. Lansdell.  Introducing Young Children to Mathematical Concepts: Problems with 'new' terminology , 1999 .

[14]  Nina F. Dronkers,et al.  Neural correlates of arithmetic and language comprehension: A common substrate? , 2007, Neuropsychologia.

[15]  R. MacCallum,et al.  The Need for Alternative Measures of Fit in Covariance Structure Modeling. , 1990, Multivariate behavioral research.

[16]  Shannon M. Pruden,et al.  Children's spatial thinking: does talk about the spatial world matter? , 2011, Developmental science.

[17]  Nancy C. Jordan,et al.  Number sense growth in kindergarten: a longitudinal investigation of children at risk for mathematics difficulties. , 2006, Child development.

[18]  Janellen Huttenlocher,et al.  Preschool children's mathematical knowledge: The effect of teacher "math talk.". , 2006, Developmental psychology.

[19]  Nancy C. Jordan,et al.  Using Kindergarten Number Sense to Predict Calculation Fluency in Second Grade , 2008, Journal of learning disabilities.

[20]  Rochel Gelman,et al.  Language and Conceptual Development series Number and language : how are they related ? , 2004 .

[21]  H. Swanson.  Working memory, attention, and mathematical problem solving: A longitudinal study of elementary school children. , 2011 .

[22]  B. Byrne.  Structural equation modeling with EQS : basic concepts, applications, and programming , 2000 .

[23]  Johannes E. H. Van Luit,et al.  Early numeracy in low‐performing young children , 2009 .

[24]  G. Whitehurst,et al.  Oral language and code-related precursors to reading: evidence from a longitudinal structural model. , 2002, Developmental psychology.

[25]  G. Duncan,et al.  School readiness and later achievement. , 2007, Developmental psychology.

[26]  Richard E Thompson,et al.  Kindergarten Predictors of Math Learning Disability , 2005, Learning disabilities research & practice : a publication of the Division for Learning Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children.

[27]  Maria Chiara Passolunghi,et al.  Domain-specific and domain-general precursors of mathematical achievement: a longitudinal study from kindergarten to first grade. , 2012, The British journal of educational psychology.

[28]  Russell Gersten,et al.  Early Identification and Interventions for Students With Mathematics Difficulties , 2005, Journal of learning disabilities.

[29]  L. Wood,et al.  From the Authors , 2003, European Respiratory Journal.

[30]  Herbert P. Ginsburg.  Children's Knowledge and Individualized Instruction , 1972 .

[31]  S. Varma,et al.  Dyscalculia: From Brain to Education , 2011, Science.

[32]  M. Mazzocco.  Challenges in Identifying Target Skills for Math Disability Screening and Intervention , 2005, Journal of learning disabilities.

[33]  Elizabeth S Spelke,et al.  Language and number: a bilingual training study , 2001, Cognition.

[34]  S. Gelman,et al.  Six does not just mean a lot: preschoolers see number words as specific , 2004, Cognition.

[35]  L. Pagani,et al.  School readiness and later achievement: replication and extension using a nationwide Canadian survey. , 2010, Developmental psychology.

[36]  Nancy C. Jordan,et al.  Universal Screening in Mathematics for the Primary Grades: Beginnings of a Research Base , 2012 .

[37]  Douglas Fuchs,et al.  The Effects of Strategic Counting Instruction, with and without Deliberate Practice, on Number Combination Skill among Students with Mathematics Difficulties. , 2010, Learning and individual differences.

[38]  Anton J. H. Boonen,et al.  The relation between teachers' math talk and the acquisition of number sense within kindergarten classrooms. , 2011, Journal of school psychology.

[39]  Ann M. Anderson,et al.  Mathematical Discourse in Shared Storybook Reading. , 2004 .

[40]  W. Wothke.  Longitudinal and multigroup modeling with missing data. , 2000 .

[41]  Sharon Vaughn,et al.  Early Numeracy Intervention Program for First-Grade Students with Mathematics Difficulties , 2011 .

[42]  G. Whitehurst,et al.  Child development and emergent literacy. , 1998, Child development.

[43]  K Moeller,et al.  Early place-value understanding as a precursor for later arithmetic performance--a longitudinal study on numerical development. , 2011, Research in developmental disabilities.

[44]  Niels Blunch,et al.  Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling Using SPSS and Amos , 2008 .

[45]  Robert S. Siegler,et al.  Improving the Numerical Understanding of Children From Low-Income Families , 2009 .

[46]  Susan E. Gathercole,et al.  Working memory and phonological awareness as predictors of progress towards early learning goals at school entry , 2005 .

[47]  Eliane Segers,et al.  Cognitive and linguistic precursors to numeracy in kindergarten: Evidence from first and second language learners , 2011 .

[48]  S. Dehaene,et al.  THREE PARIETAL CIRCUITS FOR NUMBER PROCESSING , 2003, Cognitive neuropsychology.

[49]  Chris Singleton,et al.  Do weak phonological representations impact on arithmetic development? A review of research into arithmetic and dyslexia. , 2008, Dyslexia.

[50]  Jacob Cohen.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences , 1969, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[51]  Bengt Muthén,et al.  LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH USING LATENT VARIABLE MODELING , 1998 .

[52]  Douglas Fuchs,et al.  The contributions of numerosity and domain-general abilities to school readiness. , 2010, Child development.

[53]  David J. Purpura,et al.  Early literacy and early numeracy: the value of including early literacy skills in the prediction of numeracy development. , 2011, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[54]  Wolfgang Schneider,et al.  Early Development of Quantity to Number-Word Linkage as a Precursor of Mathematical School Achievement and Mathematical Difficulties: Findings from a Four-Year Longitudinal Study. , 2009 .

[55]  Derek H Berg,et al.  Working memory and arithmetic calculation in children: the contributory roles of processing speed, short-term memory, and reading. , 2008, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[56]  Jennifer Young-Loveridge,et al.  Effects on early numeracy of a program using number books and games , 2004 .

[57]  Lynn S. Fuchs,et al.  The Predictive Utility of Kindergarten Screening for Math Difficulty , 2010 .

[58]  Nancy C. Jordan,et al.  Building Kindergartners' Number Sense: A Randomized Controlled Study. , 2012, Journal of educational psychology.

[59]  Nancy C. Jordan,et al.  Early math matters: kindergarten number competence and later mathematics outcomes. , 2009, Developmental psychology.

[60]  Lynn S. Fuchs,et al.  The Early Prevention of Mathematics Difficulty , 2012, Journal of learning disabilities.