Strategy flexibility, adaptivity, and the use of clever shortcut strategies are of major importance in current primary school mathematics education worldwide. However, empirical results show that primary school students use such shortcut strategies rather infrequently. The aims of the present study were to analyze the extent to which Dutch sixth…

Subtractions of the type M - S = ? can be solved by various strategies, including subtraction by addition. In this study, we investigated children's use of subtraction by addition by means of reaction time analyses. We presented 106 third to sixth graders with 32 large non-tie single-digit problems in both subtraction (12 - 9 = .) and addition…

Predictions of the Identical Elements (IE) model of arithmetic fact representation (Rickard, 2005; Rickard & Bourne, 1996) about transfer between arithmetic facts were tested in primary school children. The aim of the study was to test whether the IE model, constructed to explain adult performance, also applies to children. The IE model…

Second and third graders from six Dutch elementary schools (N = 168) solved two sets of almost identical addition and subtraction sums at a two-week interval. Inconsistency in strategies, which characterized half the subjects, was related to unfamiliar sums and resulted in misinterpreted errors. (TJH)

Compares two experimental programs for teaching mental addition and subtraction in the Dutch second grade (N=275). Discusses realistic program design (RPD) and gradual program design (GPD). Concludes that RPD pupils show a more varied use of solution procedures than GPD pupils. Contains 46 references. (Author/ASK)