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Nonsymbolic numerical magnitude processing and arithmetic performance : an investigation on first-grade children with and without mathematics difficulties

This study examined the nonsymbolic numerical magnitude processing in Chinese first graders with marked mathematics difficulties (MD) and typically achieving peers. The approximate number system (ANS) view has suggested that children with MD may have deficit in the internal representation of magnitudes. Chinese first-graders with MD were compared with age-matched typically achieving children on approximate numerical comparison, approximate addition and multiplication tasks. Children with MD were found to perform significantly worse than their age-matched controls in all tasks. Students before formal instruction in multiplication yielded an above-chance level of performance in approximate multiplication task, which suggested the existence of approximate multiplicative ability. After formal instruction in multiplication, the MD group performed significantly worse than controls in approximate multiplication task and arithmetic tests. Only normally achieving children showed significant improvement after formal instruction. This study provided further evidence for an intuitive numerical processing in arithmetic operation, and the result had significant implication to the diagnosis of MD and intervention on mathematics difficulties. / published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/196514
Date January 2012
CreatorsTang, Wai-yan, Jacqueline, 鄧偉茵
PublisherThe University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong)
Source SetsHong Kong University Theses
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypePG_Thesis
RightsCreative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License, The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works.
RelationHKU Theses Online (HKUTO)

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