Effects of Playful Learning Activities on First Graders’ Early Fraction Knowledge

• In Event: Math for All: Math Games and Activities to Improve Learning and Attitudes Across Diverse Contexts

Abstract

There are large individual differences in formal fraction learning (Resnick et al., 2016). Understanding the roots of these differences in fraction learning trajectories that emerge before formal instruction begins is crucial to prepare children for learning formal fractions. Previous findings suggest that there are large individual differences in children’s informal fraction knowledge in first grade and that these differences predict later math achievement (Viegut et al., 2023). These observations led us to investigate the malleability of early fraction concepts through targeted training in playful learning contexts. Specifically, we asked: to what extent will fraction training improve first graders’ early fraction knowledge?
Participants were 83 first graders (Mage = 7.24). Children were randomly assigned to an experimental or active control group, stratified by classroom. Measures included a 50-item fractions knowledge assessment along with assessments of related mathematical and cognitive skills. The study used a pretest/posttest design. Procedures included five 1-on-1 sessions with trained researchers in the children’s schools. To support young learners' future success with fractions, we developed playful training activities that build on their everyday experiences and draw on their informal understanding of fractions. The playful activities were designed using the principles of concreteness fading (Fyfe et al., 2014) to gradually introduce more abstract fraction symbols that can be challenging for young learners to grasp initially. The activities, which were administered on an iPad, focused on foundational concepts such as equal sharing, part-whole relationships, equivalence, and unit fractions with denominators of 2 and 4. Children in the active control group took part in five sessions of a shared storybook reading activity with trained researchers.
Results indicate that children in the experimental training group demonstrated notably larger and meaningful gains on the fractions assessment relative to the control group. A 2x2 mixed ANCOVA revealed a significant interaction between condition and time point, F(1, 80) = 42.858, p < 0.001), indicating that both groups significantly improved over time. However, the training group showed greater improvement following the intervention, with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.08), while the control group exhibited only a small effect (d = 0.27). Individual performance on the fractions assessment by Time and Condition is graphically displayed in Figure 1.
The study reveals that early fraction understandings can be fostered in young children, before formal instruction in fractions begins. These initial efforts lay the groundwork for a systematic approach to supporting early understanding of fractional quantity alongside formal teaching of operations with integers. The findings hold promise for supporting schools in integrating fractions more effectively into the primary math curricula, before formal fraction instruction typically occurs. This approach, in turn, will prepare students for the transition from the focus on whole numbers to fractions. Overall, the work lays the groundwork for bridging the gap between the emphasis on whole numbers in preschool and early elementary education and the later focus on fractional quantities. Future work will address the extent to which early fraction training improves fraction outcomes in later grades.

Authors

• Nancy C. Jordan, University of Delaware

• Abigail Losey, University of Delaware

• Alexandria Viegut, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

• Christina Areizaga Barbieri, University of Delaware

• Ilyse Resnick, University of Canberra

• Nora Newcombe, Temple University