Collaborative Research: A Multi-Lab Investigation of the Conceptual Foundations of Early Number Development

学前算术是STEM学习和长期学术成功的重要基础。以前的研究表明，强大的计算能力的发展取决于感知，认知和语言技能的结合。然而，过去的大多数研究都集中在美国城市地区相对较小和同质的儿童群体。因此，目前对早期算术能力的理解可能无法推广到不同的学习者群体。 家庭语言背景，社会经济地位，地理和跨文化差异也可能影响计算能力的发展。为了解决这个问题，并探索在代表性样本中驱动早期算术能力的因素，这个首创的项目调查了幼儿和学龄前儿童如何感知，推理和谈论数字，涉及全球130多个研究中心的大规模多实验室合作。为了调查早期算术能力，这个合作项目包括两项基础研究。第一项研究关注2- 5岁儿童如何感知数量，学习数字单词，以及如何准确地计算物体组。该研究考察了儿童如何学习数字和数量的变化，同时探索了驱动他们学习的潜在感知，认知和语言机制。第二项基础研究的重点是幼儿跟踪小组物体的能力，研究人员认为这可能在早期数字学习中发挥特别重要的作用。这项研究考察了比以前研究的更大，更多样化的参与者群体的变异性。这项研究还询问了当孩子们开始学习数字单词时，他们对物体跟踪能力的限制是否会改变。除了这些基础研究，该项目还支持创建多个探索性研究，允许全球研究人员之间进行新颖的，突破性的合作。这些探索性研究探讨了数字能力如何与各种现象相关，包括但不限于社会认知，语言多样性，认知能力，如执行功能，以及数学教育和态度的跨文化差异。总的来说，这些研究将测试美国28个州和27个国家的3000多名儿童，采用横向和纵向行为评估相结合的方法。最终数据将与更广泛的科学界共享，并将以简化的形式在网站上展示，以使更广泛的公众可以访问研究结果。该项目由EHR核心研究（ECR）计划资助，该计划支持推进STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究，扩大STEM的参与，该奖项反映了NSF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。

Preschool numeracy is a crucial foundation for STEM learning and long-term academic success. Previous research suggests that the development of strong numeracy skills depends on a combination of perceptual, cognitive, and language skills. However, most past studies have focused on a relatively small and homogeneous groups of children in US urban areas. As a result, current understanding of early numeracy may notgeneralize to diverse groups of learners. It is likely that home language background, socio-economic status, and geographic and cross-cultural differences could also influence numeracy development. To address this, and to probe what factors drive early numeracy in a representative sample, this first-of-its-kind project investigates how toddlers and preschool-aged children perceive, reason, and talk about numbers in a massive multi-lab collaboration involving over 130 research sites worldwide.To investigate early numeracy, this collaborative project includes two foundational studies. The first study focuses on how 2- to 5-year-old children perceive quantity, learn number words, and how to accurately count groups of objects. The study examines variability in how children learn about number and quantity while exploring the underlying perceptual, cognitive and linguistic mechanisms that drive their learning. The second foundational study focuses on toddler’s abilities to keep track of small groups of objects, which researchers have argued may play an especially important role in early numerical learning. This study examines variability across larger and more diverse groups of participants than previously studied. The study also asks whether limits to children’s object tracking abilities change when they begin to learn number words. In addition to these foundational studies, the project supports the creation of multiple exploratory studies, allowing for novel, ground-breaking collaborations between researchers worldwide. These exploratory studies examine how numerical abilities are related to diverse phenomena including but not limited to social cognition, linguistic diversity, cognitive abilities like executive function, and cross-cultural differences in mathematics education and attitudes. Collectively, these studies will test over 3000 children in 28 US states and 27 countries, using a combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal behavioral assessments. Final data will be shared with the broader scientific community, and will be presented on a website in simplified form to make findings accessible to the broader public.This project is funded by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, which supports work that advances fundamental research on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.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.