Effects of multisensory input on numerical representations of diverse-SES preschoolers

在当今社会，具备数学能力是取得成功的关键。儿童早期识别符号、阅读数字、计算和辨别数量的能力都预示着以后的数学成绩。考虑到早期数学成绩的这些可预测性，找到提高早期学生数值理解能力的方法至关重要。同样重要的是，确定哪些人群可能从早期学习增强方法中受益最大。本项目将研究多感官数字输入是否能提高来自不同社会经济地位(SES)背景的学龄前儿童的数字推理能力。在幼儿园入学时，来自较低SES背景的学龄前儿童的数字成绩往往低于SES背景较高的同龄人。幼儿园初期良好的数学能力有助于缩小低SES儿童在未来数学成绩上的差异，因此研究如何帮助低SES学龄前儿童更有效地完成计算任务是至关重要的。本研究通过一系列基于计算机的实验室实验解决了以下研究问题：与单一感觉相比，为学龄前儿童提供多感觉的数字信息是否提高了他们将符号数字表征映射到非符号数字表征的能力？它能帮助他们进行加法和减法等基本算术计算吗？数据分析还将确定是否有任何这样的影响是由SES介导的，调查关于数字的多感觉信息是否对SES较低的学龄前儿童的数字表现有不同的促进作用。这些实验将进一步揭示在多感觉、非符号和符号数字任务上的表现是否相关。研究结果将为来自不同SES背景的典型发展中人群的早期数学学习提供重要的知识。这项研究将为在正式的校本学习之前了解数字思维的可塑性铺平道路，最终目标是在幼儿园之前提供更有效的计算体验。为了建立一个有STEM能力的社会，重要的是让所有的孩子在入学时做好数学成绩的准备。这一奖项反映了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。

Being mathematically competent in today’s society is critical for success. A child’s early ability to recognize symbols, read numerals, count, and discriminate quantities all predict later mathematics achievement. Considering these predictive qualities of early math achievement, it is crucial to identify ways of enhancing early student numerical understanding. It is also important to determine which populations may benefit most from early learning enhancement methods. This project will investigate whether multisensory numerical input enhances numerical reasoning performance in preschoolers recruited from diverse socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Upon kindergarten entry, the numerical performance of preschoolers from lower SES backgrounds is often lower than that of higher SES background peers. Strong math proficiency at the start of kindergarten helps lessen future discrepancies in math achievement among low SES children, so it is crucial to develop ways of aiding low SES preschool children in performing more effectively on numeracy tasks.This study addresses the following research questions through a series of computer-based laboratory experiments: Does providing preschool children with multisensory, compared to unisensory, information about number improve their abilities to map symbolic to nonsymbolic numerical representations? Does it help them to perform basic arithmetic computations like addition and subtraction? Data analyses will also determine whether any such effects are mediated by SES, investigating whether multisensory information about number differentially boosts numerical performance for lower SES preschoolers. The experiments will further reveal whether performance on multisensory nonsymbolic and symbolic number tasks is correlated. Results will provide important knowledge about early mathematics learning in typically developing populations from diverse SES backgrounds. This research will pave the way for understanding the malleability of numerical thinking prior to formal, school-based learning, with the ultimate goal of providing more effective numeracy experiences before kindergarten. In order to build a STEM-competent society, it is important that all children enter school ready for math achievement.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.