How multi-digit number names guide attention, memory, and place value learning en early elementary mathematics

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Learning numbers involves coordinating between number symbols, number names, ordering of digits, and the quantities they represent. Coordinating these ideas to understand the place value system in mathematics is a common challenge for students learning number in early elementary grades. It is a step on the way to learning number and operations topics in later mathematics, but also builds upon earlier knowledge of numbers. This project seeks to understand how children learn about place value by studying different representations of multi-digit numbers (written number symbols, heard number names) and how prior knowledge of number influences children’s’ learning. Knowing more about multi-digit number learning will help to create teaching and curriculum resources that better support children’s learning. The Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. 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 proposed projects.  The exploratory project investigates the relationship between knowing multi-digit number names, written number symbols, and students’ prior knowledge of place value. The project uses a series of experiments to study how early rudimentary understanding of multi-digit number symbols leads to differential in-the-moment gaze patterns during place value instruction. The project seeks to connect students’ learning to instructional practice and prior knowledge. Three experimental studies will be conducted with kindergartners using eye-tracking, measures of students’ knowledge and different instructional practices for representing multi-digit numbers. The findings should inform how multi-digit numbers could be described by teachers and how to best present them to students.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.