In this paper we direct attention to 5-6-year-olds' learning of arithmetic skills through a thorough analysis of changes in the children's ways of encountering and experiencing numbers. The foundation for our approach is phenomenographic, in that our object of analysis is differences in children's ways of completing an arithmetic task, which are…

Background: Children's numerical and arithmetic skills differ greatly already at an early age. Although research focusing on accounting for these large individual differences clearly demonstrates that mathematical performance draws upon several cognitive abilities, our knowledge concerning key abilities underlying mathematical skill development is…

This study examined cognitive precursors of hierarchical mathematical development. Six-year-old children (n = 258) were assessed on number skills, cognitive skills, and arithmetic 1 year prior to school entry. Skills in advanced arithmetic and advanced mathematics were assessed in Grades 3 and 6, respectively. Path analyses were computed and…

This study investigated if developmental dyscalculia (DD) in children with different profiles of mathematical deficits has the same or different cognitive origins. The defective approximate number system hypothesis and the access deficit hypothesis were tested using two different groups of children with DD (11-13 years old): a group with…

Research on cognitive representation of numbers and understanding of place value of U.S. and Japanese first graders was extended to France, Sweden, and Korea (118 subjects; approximately 24 from each of the 5 countries). Basic differences in children's cognitive representations of number are influenced by characteristics of their languages. (SLD)