Improving Flexible Attention to Numerical and Spatial Magnitudes in Young Children

提高幼儿对数字和空间大小的灵活注意力

• 批准号: 2301008
• 负责人: Elizabeth Gunderson
• 金额: $ 178.71万
• 依托单位: Temple University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2024-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301008&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Improving; Flexible; Attention; Numerical; Spatial

Mathematical skills are essential for STEM careers, as well as crucial tools in everyday life, from financial planning to medical decision-making. Unfortunately, many students fail to reach their potential in these skills. One of the challenges that preschool-aged children face when acquiring an understanding of numbers is distinguishing between numerical magnitudes (like three elephants) and spatial magnitudes (like the size of an elephant). Prior research suggests that children often focus on the size of the objects instead of the exact number of objects (for example, when comparing 3 elephants to 6 mice, children often mistakenly say that there is a greater number of elephants than mice). The ability to flexibly pay attention to both numerical and spatial magnitudes and then determine which magnitudes are relevant for a given situation is referred to as “flexible attention to magnitudes” (FAM). This project aims to understand the development of young children’s flexible attention to magnitudes skill and how it can best be supported by specific experiences in early childhood. It is hypothesized that this skill is essential to later mathematical thinking and is an important skill for many mathematical activities, such as number line estimation and proportional reasoning.The proposed studies are designed to identify specific mechanisms that lead to improvements in flexible attention to magnitudes (FAM) skills. The first aim of these studies is to examine the roles of mathematical language and visual experience as potential causal mechanisms that drive improvement in this skill in young children. The second aim is to determine whether improving flexible attention to magnitudes skill has a causal effect on mathematics achievement. The third aim is to test whether an intervention leads to durable improvements in flexible attention to magnitudes skill and mathematics achievement, and far transfer to executive function skills. The fourth aim is to explore whether the impact of flexible attention to magnitudes instruction depends on students’ socioeconomic status (SES) and initial number word knowledge. These aims will be tested with young children ages 3 - 5 years via three experimenter-led studies using pretest-intervention-posttest designs. Each study will compare reading books with specific types of FAM content to each other and to an active control. Study 1 will test the effects of mathematical language and Study 2 will examine the role of visual experience on FAM skill and mathematics achievement. Study 3 will examine gains in FAM skill and mathematics achievement at a delayed post-test, and far transfer to executive function skills. Study 4 will pool data from Studies 2 and 3 to provide a well-powered test of SES and number knowledge as moderators of the effects of FAM intervention. These studies will build a theoretical model of how FAM skill develops and impacts other skills, while simultaneously laying the foundation for larger-scale interventions aimed at improving children’s mathematics skills.This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM 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.

数学技能对于 STEM 职业至关重要，也是日常生活中（从财务规划到医疗决策）的重要工具。不幸的是，许多学生未能发挥这些技能的潜力。学龄前儿童在理解数字时面临的挑战之一是区分数字大小（如三头大象）和空间大小（如大象的大小）。先前的研究表明，孩子们经常关注物体的大小，而不是物体的确切数量（例如，当比较 3 头大象和 6 只老鼠时，孩子们经常错误地认为大象的数量比老鼠的数量多）。灵活关注数值和空间幅度，然后确定哪些幅度与给定情况相关的能力被称为“灵活关注幅度”（FAM）。该项目旨在了解幼儿灵活注意幅度技能的发展，以及如何通过幼儿期的具体经历最好地支持这种能力。据推测，这种技能对于后来的数学思维至关重要，并且是许多数学活动的重要技能，例如数轴估计和比例推理。所提出的研究旨在确定导致灵活注意幅度（FAM）技能改进的具体机制。这些研究的首要目的是检验数学语言和视觉体验作为推动幼儿这项技能提高的潜在因果机制的作用。第二个目标是确定提高对幅度的灵活关注技能是否对数学成绩有因果影响。第三个目标是测试干预是否会导致对幅度技能和数学成绩的灵活注意力的持久改善，以及对执行功能技能的远转移。第四个目标是探讨灵活关注量级教学的影响是否取决于学生的社会经济地位（SES）和初始数字单词知识。这些目标将通过三项由实验者主导的研究，采用前测-干预-后测设计，对 3 至 5 岁的幼儿进行测试。每项研究都会将具有特定类型 FAM 内容的阅读书籍相互进行比较，并与主动对照进行比较。研究 1 将测试数学语言的影响，研究 2 将研究视觉体验对 FAM 技能和数学成绩的作用。研究 3 将在延迟的后测中检验 FAM 技能和数学成绩的提高，以及远转移到执行功能技能。研究 4 将汇集研究 2 和研究 3 的数据，对 SES 和数字知识作为 FAM 干预效果的调节因素提供强有力的测试。这些研究将建立 FAM 技能如何发展和影响其他技能的理论模型，同时为旨在提高儿童数学技能的更大规模干预措施奠定基础。该项目得到了 NSF 的 EDU 核心研究 (ECR) 计划的支持。 ECR 项目强调基础 STEM 教育研究，产生该领域的基础知识。投资针对重要、广泛和持久的关键领域：STEM 学习和 STEM 学习环境、扩大 STEM 参与以及 STEM 劳动力发展。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。