Fifth-grade students (n=101) were studied to determine the effect of instruction on (1) the development of computational estimation strategies; (2) types of estimation errors made; and (3) estimation skills. Results indicate students adopt the estimation strategies taught and that introducing mathematical concepts through estimation increases…

Report provides new data concerning children's accuracy as measured by previous studies and clarifies progress of first graders during entire year on difficult single-digit addition and subtraction problems. Discussion focuses on advantages of an adding on interpretation of subtraction and the importance of emphasizing conceptual understanding…

Describes a study of Liberian schools in which students of the Vai tribe are instructed in Western mathematical practices which differ from those of the students' home culture. Reports that the Vai children employed syncretic arithmetic practices, combining two distinct systems of arithmetic in a classroom environment that tacitly facilitated the…

This study investigates the development of an adaptive strategy for estimating numerosity from the theoretical perspective of strategic change. A simple estimation task was used. Participants of 3 different age groups (20 university students, 20 sixth-graders and 10 second-graders) had to estimate 100 numerosities of colored blocks presented in a…

Describes a program in second-grade Dutch mathematics classes that emphasizes mental addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers up to 100. Deals with a strategy of counting by 10s from any number. (Contains 56 references.) (RLB)

While the emphasis and content of school mathematics differ little between Japan and America, by the time students reach junior high school, performance as measured by international studies differs greatly. This report provides a profile of the attitudes toward, strategies used, and performance on mental computation of Japanese students in grades…