Implementation and Efficacy Study of Preschool Math Activities for Numeracy

数学游戏和游戏能激发幼儿对模式、数字和逻辑的兴趣。在学前班，对数学教学和学习有着迫切的需求。幼儿期是儿童学习数学的重要时期。儿童以游戏为基础的活动为他们探索和学习数学主题提供了自然的机会。该项目探讨了教师如何利用与幼儿的活动来发展他们对数字和模式的知识。该研究的一部分考察了教师应该为学生提供多少指导。该项目还探索了最容易被学龄前教师使用的资源的设计，这些资源可以很容易地融入到幼儿的教学中。使用游戏为基础的数学活动的研究将支持关键的早期学习的数字概念。本研究将探讨学前数学游戏对数学学习的实施与效果。本研究将研究教师在课堂上使用的材料，以了解这些材料如何提高早期的计算能力，以及儿童的进步是否受到课堂活动实施方式的影响。本研究的研究问题考察了教师在儿童从事算术活动时提供指导的作用，以及材料如何影响儿童的早期算术技能。本研究采用实验设计研究不同的实施路径。本设计将考察两种不同类型的教师和两种水平的指导对学龄前学生使用活动的影响。收集的数据将包括儿童数学知识和教师教学自我效能感和内容知识的测量。探索研究preK-12项目（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发新的创新和方法，显著提高preK-12学生和教师对科学、技术、工程和数学的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为项目提供了理论和实证依据。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Math games and play engage young children’s interest in patterns, numbers and logic. In preschools, there is a critical need for math instruction and learning. Early childhood is an important point for children to learn about mathematics. Children's play-based activities provide natural opportunities for them to explore and learn math topics. This project explores how teachers can use activities with young children to develop their knowledge of numbers and patterns. Part of the study examines how much guidance teachers should provide to students. The project also explores the design of resources that are the most likely to be used by preschool teachers and that can be easily incorporated into their teaching of young children. The study of the use of play-based mathematics activities will support critical early learning of number concepts. This project will investigate the implementation and efficacy of the preschool math games for mathematics learning. The research would study the materials as used in classrooms by teachers in order to understand how the materials improve early numeracy skills, and whether children’s improvement is affected by how the activities are implemented in the classroom. The research questions for the study examine the role of the teacher in providing guidance to children when engaging in the numeracy activities and how the materials influence children’s early numeracy skills. The study employs an experimental design to study different implementation pathways. The design would examine the impact of two different instructor types and two levels of guidance for the preschool students when using the activities. Data collected will include measures of children’s mathematical knowledge and teachers’ pedagogical self-efficacy and content knowledge. The Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics by preK-12 students and teachers, through the research and development of new innovations and approaches. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for the projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.