Assessment of number concepts in kindergarten and grade one students

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dc.contributor.advisorAndrews, Jac W.
dc.contributor.authorDrefs, Michelle A.
dc.date.accessioned2017-12-18T21:31:20Z
dc.date.available2017-12-18T21:31:20Z
dc.date.issued2006
dc.descriptionBibliography: p. 182-213en
dc.description.abstractIn the present study, an assessment instrument was developed and examined to determine its applicability to the assessment of kindergarten and grade one students' understanding of number concepts. Based on an integration of two neo-Piagetian theories, Robbie Case's (1992, 1996) mental number line and Biggs and Collis' (1982a) structure of observed learning outcomes (SOLO) model, the Test of Early Number Concepts (TENC) was developed to provide an assessment of five proficiency levels in a child's acquisition of four aspects of number concepts (i.e., symbols, magnitude comparison, sequence, composition). Both the TENC and a standardized mathematics assessment (WIA T-II mathematics subtests) were administered to kindergarten and grade one students (n = 160; age range 4 years, 11 months to 8 years, 2 months). Descriptive and inferential analysis confirmed the performance pattern achieved on the TENC as consistent with theory-based expectations. Participants performed at each of the five proficiency levels, with grade one students demonstrating significantly higher scores than the kindergarten students. Construct validity of the TENC was obtained through correlational analysis that revealed a moderate to strong relationship between TENC tasks and the WIAT-II (r = .59 to .72). Moreover, multiple regressions identified several TENC tasks as significant predictors of the WIAT-II mathematical subtests, accounting for 48% to 68% of the observed variance. Overall, the results provide preliminary support for the use of the TENC instrument in the assessment of early number concepts. A secondary area of investigation concerned children's recognition of perceptual configurations of number and their counting skills. Children's recognition of perceptual configurations, particularly for familiar patterned sets, was found to both moderately correlate with (r = .30 to .64) and predict (accounting for 24 to 45% of the variance) their mathematics knowledge as assessed using the TENC and WIAT-II. Mann-Whitney tests identified the bi-directional counting tasks as differentiating between children with poorly developed from those with well-developed number concepts. These results support an interplay between children's knowledge of number configurations and their bi-directional counting skills with their understanding of number concepts, although further research is warranted to further examine the extent and direction of influence.
dc.format.extentxiii, 245 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.en
dc.identifier.citationDrefs, M. A. (2006). Assessment of number concepts in kindergarten and grade one students (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/1601en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/1601
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/102602
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.titleAssessment of number concepts in kindergarten and grade one students
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineApplied Psychology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
ucalgary.thesis.accessionTheses Collection 58.002:Box 1640 520492157
ucalgary.thesis.notesUARCen
ucalgary.thesis.uarcreleaseyen
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