CAREER: Spatial Foundations of Symbolic Numeracy Skills in Young Children

空间技能在很大程度上预测了儿童和成人在STEM领域的成就。这个项目由天普大学（Temple University）的一名研究人员领导，旨在更细致地了解幼儿园到四年级学生的空间技能和数字技能之间的关系，最终目标是利用这种关系来提高数学成绩。本项目(1)研究空间技能如何、何时以及为何影响数字技能；(2)研究STEM领域中存在代表性不足风险的儿童，即来自低社会经济地位（SES）背景的女孩和学生，其空间和数字技能的发展情况；(3)建立了空间技能与数字技能之间的因果关系。为了实现目标(1)和(2)，研究1采用了为期两年的纵向设计，从学前班、一年级和三年级开始，学生来自不同的SES背景。研究人员每年对学生进行两次评估，测量空间技能（如心理旋转、比例推理、空间工作记忆）、数字技能（如基数、算术、分数概念）和数轴知识（一种整合空间和数字的“桥梁技能”）的多个方面。阅读成绩的评估作为一种控制措施。研究人员假设，随着时间的推移，最初的空间技能可以预测数字技能的增长；当新的数字概念第一次被引入时，空间技能对数字技能最为重要；数轴知识将有助于解释空间技能和数字技能之间的关系。为了实现目标(3)，研究2-4采用随机实验的方法提高了空间技能和数轴知识，验证了提高这些技能会导致数字技能提高的假设。该项目还研究了可能预测数字技能差异的潜在性别差异和空间技能的个体差异。该项目通过大学教学和指导以及与实践教师建立工作圈子，将研究和教育活动结合起来。该项目确定了提高儿童计算能力的具体技能和培训技巧，这对女孩和来自低经济地位家庭的儿童尤其重要。这项基础研究为制定旨在改善高危儿童数学学习和STEM表现的课程干预措施奠定了坚实的基础。

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.