Early numeracy performance of South African school beginners

Abstract

Early numeracy skills are highly relevant for children’s mathematics learning at school, especially in the initial years when much mathematics learning relies on early numeracy competence. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of early numeracy skills in a sample of South African children in the first months of formal schooling. In this cross- sectional study, there were 443 first graders (206 girls and 237 boys) from Gauteng Province schools. The mean age of the children was 81.61 months (6 years 10 months) (SD 5.40 months). Their early numeracy skills were measured with the ThinkMath Scale. The main finding of this study was that there were statistically significant differences in early numeracy skills between the children when they started first grade. The differences were related to the home language of the first graders in the English medium schools, as well as the type of school (public vs. private). This article concludes that the numeracy competence of the children from the sample was notably varied in the beginning of their formal schooling, which has implications for teaching in the vastly different classroom populations that are all served by one national curriculum.

Parental Involvement in Young Children’s Learning of Numeracy

“…The guides serve as the manual for the parents or educators outlined with particular objectives, plans of activities, and assessment meant for reflection. The stimulating formal activities include worksheet activity, drilling practice, oral memorisation, and technology-guided software or application (Aunio et al, 2016;Baccaglini-Frank, Carotenuto & Sinclair, 2020). In contrast, informal activities are the result of situational or incidental learning.…”

Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng

“…In other words, it is the ability to access, use, interpret and communicate mathematical information and ideas in various situations. Aunio et al (2016) drew a distinction between numeracy and mathematics. They argued that a solid foundation in numeracy (Foundation Phase level) facilitates the learners' understanding of mathematics.…”

“…Alshatri et al (2019) define teaching aids as: study is on the use of visual tools in teaching numeracy in the early grades of schooling. The literature reveals that many studies have been conducted to validate the use of the visual tools to enhance numeracy learning (Arcavi 2003;Aunio et al 2016;Naidoo 2012;Van Garden, Scheuemann, Poch & Murray 2018;Wilmot & Schafer 2015;Zodik & Zaslavsky 2007). The authors of this study believe that visual representation in mathematics involves creating and forming models that reflect mathematical information.…”

“…They mentioned that although the instruction was provided in the mother tongue of the learners, as stipulated by the Language in Education Policy, learners still found it difficult to understand the numeracy concepts. This is a cause for concern because numeracy is an essential building block for young children to make a confident start in mathematics (Aunio et al 2016;Department of Basic Education 2009). As authors, we realised that this was not a problem for the two schools studied, but a general problem in South Africa.…”

Small Group Interventions for Children Aged 5–9 Years Old with Mathematical Learning Difficulties

“…ThinkMath service has risen interest outside Finland also. We have now two international research projects, one in South Africa (e.g., Aunio, Mononen, Ragpot & Törmänen, 2016) and one in Norway (https://thinkmathglobal.com). The most important scientific question still is, if it is possible to enhance the early mathematics learning of children with low performance with ThinkMath small groups interventions.…”