CAREER: Spatial Foundations of Symbolic Numeracy Skills in Young Children

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Spatial skills strongly predict STEM achievement in children and adults. This project, led by a researcher at Temple University, aims to understand the relationship between spatial and numerical skills at a more fine-grained level, among pre-k through 4th graders, with the ultimate goal of harnessing this relationship to improve math achievement. This project (1) investigates how, when, and why spatial skills influence numerical skills; (2) examines how spatial and numerical skills develop among children at risk for under-representation in STEM fields, namely girls and students from low-socioeconomic-status (SES) backgrounds; and (3) establishes causal relationships between spatial and numerical skills.To accomplish goals (1) and (2), Study 1 uses a two-year longitudinal design, with students from a range of SES backgrounds starting in pre-k, 1st-, and 3rd-grades. Researchers assesses students twice a year, measuring multiple aspects of spatial skills (e.g., mental rotation, proportional reasoning, spatial working memory), numerical skills (e.g., cardinality, arithmetic, fraction concepts), and number line knowledge, a "bridge skill' that integrates space and number. Reading achievement is assessed as a control measure. The researchers hypothesize that initial spatial skills will predict growth over time in numerical skills; that spatial skills will be most important for numerical skills when new number concepts are first introduced; and that number line knowledge will help to explain the relations between spatial and numerical skills. To accomplish goal (3), Studies 2-4 use randomized experiments to improve spatial skills and number line knowledge, testing the hypothesis that improving these skills leads to improvement in numerical skills. The project also looks at potential gender differences and individual differences in spatials skills that might predict differences in numerical skills. The project integrates the research and educational activities both through university teaching and mentoring as well as through the establishment of work circles with practicing teachers. This project identifies specific skills and training techniques that increase children's numeracy skills, which may be especially important for girls and children from low-SES families. This foundational research builds a strong basis for the development of curricular interventions aimed at improving math learning and STEM representation in at-risk children.