Optimizing the 0-100 Number Line Estimation Task: Scale Reduction and Its Implications for Elementary Mathematical Cognition

• In Event: Elementary Students' Mathematical Cognition: Insights Into Estimation, Relational Reasoning, and Effective Feedback in Mathematics

Abstract

We investigate the optimal number of targets for the 0-100 number line estimation task used in research on children’s mathematical cognition and learning. We reanalyzed data involving N=234 students, applying an Item Response Theory- Graded Response Model to identify trials with high discrimination parameters (>1.0), iteratively reducing the scale by including trials with discrimination values close to 1.0 until the reduced scale produced comparable scores to the original. We identified a reduced scale of 15 trials that maintained strong correlations with–and produced consistent patterns of developmental change and predictive capability compared to–the original scale. Our findings demonstrate that a reduced 0-100 number line estimation task can effectively measure mathematical cognition in elementary students while saving time and resources.

Authors

• Kamal Chawla, University of Maine

• Julie L. Booth, Temple University

• Christina Areizaga Barbieri, University of Delaware