Poster #82 - Strategizing for Success: Children’s Use of Strategies to Solve Number Combinations and Story Problems

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Much research has focused on the role of finger counting as an important strategy for children to use as they begin to solve number combinations (Geary et al., 2004; DiLuca & Pisenti, 2011). In first grade, children with math difficulties use their fingers more often and less accurately than their typically-achieving peers (Geary, 1990). Yet, there are other strategies that children might leverage to help them add and subtract on the way to mastery. The present study investigates kindergartners’ use of a variety of counting support strategies in two contexts: addition and subtraction number combinations (NC) and story problems (SP). It examines strategies used by at-risk and typically-achieving children throughout kindergarten.

Participants were 88 kindergartners. Higher and low-achieving students were differentiated via cut scores on a validated number sense screener (low-achieving (LA) scored ≤25th%ile; higher-achieving (HA) scored >25th%ile). We examined development of the following counting-related strategies on individual trials longitudinally (three timepoints in kindergarten): finger counting, counting on a number list, drawing representations, count-verbally-without-tool, and writing out the problem. During testing, children were given paper, pencil, and a 1-10 number list. They were told they could use these tools, their fingers, or anything else to solve the problems. Problems were read to the children and researchers recorded strategies on individual items. Totals were <12.

Overall, children did not make use of external supports, other than fingers. For LA children at T1, there was no relation between strategy use and accuracy, on either NC or SP. For HA children, there was a moderate correlation for finger use and accuracy (r=.45; p<.01) for NC. At T2, there was a strong relation between finger use and accuracy for LA children on both NC (r=.75, p<.001) and SP (r=.64; p<.01); for HA children, there was a moderate relation for SP (r=.50; p<.01). At T3, there was a moderate association between finger use and accuracy on NC (r=.55; p<.001) and SP (r=.40; p<.01) for LA children; for HA children, there was a weak association between the use of fingers and accuracy for SP (r=.38; p<.01).

In both groups, children used strategies more frequently and over a longer time period to solve SP than NC (Table 1). It may be the more abstract nature of story problem—in that children must first comprehend what the problem is asking and then find a solution—that encourages children use a strategy to represent the problem at hand (Nathan et al., 1992). Yet, finger counting was the still most used strategy, regardless of problem type.

The present study expands previous work by examining multiple support strategies—not only finger counting. Throughout the school year, classroom teachers reported that they familiarized children with all of the strategies offered during the assessment, but children still gravitated overwhelmingly toward finger counting. Whether children were lower- or higher-achieving, they spontaneously chose finger counting (above and beyond any other strategies) for both types of problems, with only HA children minimally expanding to using a number list.

Authors

• Brenna Hassinger-Das, Pace University
  Presenting Author

• Nicole Hansen, Fairleigh Dickinson University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katherine Aloisi, Pace University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nancy Dyson, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nancy Jordan, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author