The development of early numeracy skills in kindergarten in low-, average- and high-performance groups

Abstract

In this study, we investigated how early numeracy skills develop in kindergarten-age children. The participants were 235 Finnish children (111 girls and 124 boys). At the time of the first measurement, the average age of the children was 6 years. The measurements were conducted three times during 1 year of kindergarten. We used a between-group repeated-measures analysis of variance and post hoc group comparisons for three measurement times on two related mathematical scales. The results showed that differences in mathematics skills among children are already visible in kindergarten before formal primary education in mathematics starts. The early numeracy skills measured, namely, relational skills in a numerical context and counting skills, were weaker over the kindergarten year in low-performing children, and, although their skills improved, they did not catch up to their average peers.