Kindergarten children’s representation and understanding of written number symbols

Abstract

Two samples of kindergarten children’s representation and understanding of written number symbols were examined in two time points in one academic year. About 85% of Chinese five year olds (mean = 5 years 10 months) were able to use conventional number symbols to represent the quantity of 30 or larger. At the end of the kindergarten year, 94% of Chinese six year olds (mean = 6 years 4 months) were able to use conventional number symbols to represent the quantity of 100 or larger. Some Chinese six year olds had problems in representing written addition and subtraction tasks. Children’s ability to represent written number symbols, ability to represent written addition and subtraction formula and their performance on written addition and subtraction were closely related. The performance of children in a university‐affiliated childcare center was better than that of the center serving working‐class families in Time 1, but the performance reversed at the end of the kindergarten year.

Keywords:

• Addition and subtraction
• Kindergarten
• Longitudinal study
• Number concept
• Number development
• Written number symbols

Acknowledgements

This study was part of a longitudinal study supported by Shanghai Philosophical and Social Science Grant, # 2002BJY002. The authors would like to thank Dr Jianhong Wang for her help in data analysis for the comparison of children’s performance in two childcare centers. Special thanks go to the children and teachers in the participating childcare centers in Shanghai, China.