Simple Addition Strategies in a First-Grade Class With Multiple Strategy Instruction

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the fluency with which first graders of different mathematical achievement levels applied multiple, school-taught strategies for finding arithmetic sums over 10. We characterized children's strategies with the 4 parameters of Lemaire and Siegler's (1995) model of strategy change (strategy repertoire, distribution, efficiency, and selection) using the choice/no-choice method (Siegler & Lemaire, 1997). Eighty-three first graders who had been taught 2 reasoning strategies (decomposition-to-10 and tie) solved a series of near ties over 10 (such as 8 + 7 = .) in 4 different conditions. In the choice condition, children could choose between the decomposition-to-10 and the tie strategy on each near tie. In the 3 no-choice conditions, they had to solve all sums with decomposition-to-10, tie, and retrieval strategies, respectively. High-achieving first graders applied these strategies more efficiently but not more adaptively than did their lower achieving peers. We interpret these results in light of international reform mathematics efforts to promote children's adaptive expertise.