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Are differences between social classes reduced by non-symbolic numerical tasks? Evidence from the ELFE cohort
Jean-Paul Fischer1, Xavier Thierry2
1Laboratoire 2LPN, Université Lorraine, Nancy, France.
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|July 7, 2020
Summary
Socioeconomic status (SES) significantly impacts young children's non-symbolic math skills, with disadvantaged children scoring lower. These foundational numerical abilities are as sensitive to SES as symbolic math skills.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Children's mathematical abilities encompass both symbolic (e.g., number symbols) and non-symbolic (e.g., quantity comparison) skills.
- Previous research indicates socioeconomic status (SES) disadvantages are linked to lower symbolic math performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of children's socioeconomic status (SES) on their non-symbolic mathematical (numerical) performance.
- To determine if SES disadvantages affect foundational numerical skills in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 4,955 nursery school children (4-5 years old) in the French longitudinal study, ELFE.
- Verified the distinction between symbolic and non-symbolic math assessments.
- Examined SES-related differences in non-symbolic math skills within the ELFE sample.
Main Results:
- Non-symbolic math performance showed significant correlations with family income and maternal education, comparable to symbolic math skills.
- Children from families below the median income scored 3.8 points lower in non-symbolic math compared to peers from higher-income families.
- SES disadvantages were found to significantly impact non-symbolic mathematical abilities.
Conclusions:
- Children from lower SES backgrounds exhibit significantly poorer non-symbolic math skills compared to their more advantaged peers.
- While non-symbolic math skills are educationally relevant, they do not diminish the importance of symbolic math skills in early education.
- Addressing SES disparities is crucial for developing foundational numerical competencies in all children.
Keywords:
emerging numeracynon-symbolic calculationnursery schoolsociocultural categorysymbolic numberMore Related Videos
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