Oral Counting Mediates Relations between Early Language Comprehension and Symbolic Numeral Knowledge for School Readiness

• In Event: 3-072 - Social, Cognitive, Communicative, and Motivational Predictors of School Readiness and Achievement: Infancy to Childhood

Integrative Statement

Introduction: Most research on cross-domain development that encompasses early mathematics skills has focused on numeracy and its relations to literacy skills (predominantly, phonological awareness) (see Hecht et al., 2001; Purpura et al., 2011). Few research studies have focused on the language domain and its links to mathematics, especially for school-entry age children (Purpura et al., 2011). Research indicates that language is an important pathway by which children from low-income backgrounds develop their thinking (Halle et al., 2009; Pace et al, 2017). Further, LeFevre and colleagues (2010) hypothesized that mathematics knowledge is formed from the basis of the general language system rather than from mathematics-specific language knowledge. Given the established importance of general language comprehension as a foundation for the cognitive development of low-income, ethnic minority children, we expect language comprehension to be a significant factor in understanding numeracy competencies, more so than what has been previously highlighted in previous research. We also specifically explore the extent to which informal numeracy knowledge (e.g., oral counting) serves as a mediator between early language comprehension and later numeral knowledge (see Figure 1d).

Method: This study examined the longitudinal relations between language comprehension and numeracy skills (oral counting, number identification, number relations) in a sample of ethnic minority (African American = 86%; Latino = 14%) children from low-income communities. Participants were children (N = 79) between 1.42 to 3.42 years when early language comprehension skills were assessed and between 4.5 to 6.33 years when numeracy skills were assessed. All data were collected in each child’s home and measures were administered through standardized procedures.

Results: Results indicate strong correlations among language and numeracy skills, independent of age and sex. Mediation analyses indicated that oral counting mediated the relation between early language comprehension and number identification and number relations. The magnitude of the indirect effect through oral counting was moderate; b = .32, 95% CI [.134, .531] for number identification and also moderate; b = .20, 95% CI [.073, .331] for predicting knowledge of number relations (see Table 1d).

Discussion: This study adds to the literature by demonstrating the importance of oral counting for the development of school-age numeracy skills and mediating the relation between early language comprehension and numeral knowledge at school-age. Studies show that counting skills measured in kindergarten, significantly predict mathematics knowledge in first grade after controlling for child demographic and family factors (e.g., parental education) (Aubrey, Godfrey, & Dahl, 2006; Aunio & Niemivirta, 2010). By having automaticity in counting (i.e., avoiding pausing, not skipping or double counting numbers, transitioning between tens frames) children’s memory representations of arithmetic facts increase. This fluency aids in more quick retrieval and representation of more complex numeracy tasks (LeFevre et al., 2010) and the use of more efficient strategies in addition and subtraction (Siegler & Shrager, 1984). The findings from this study indicate that capitalizing on children’s early language comprehension to promote oral counting fluency is a promising pathway for the subsequent development of symbolic numeral knowledge (number identification, number relations) at school-age.

Authors

• Kalina Gjicali, The Graduate Center CUNY
  Presenting Author

• Jennifer Astuto, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anastasiya A. Lipnevich, Queens College and The Graduate Center CUNY
  Non-Presenting Author