Faculty Articles

Sources of group and individual differences in emerging fraction skills

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Educational Psychology

ISSN

0022-0663

Publication Date

11-2011

Keywords

fraction skills, mathematical learning disabilities, mathematical learning difficulties, mathematical development

Abstract

Results from a two year longitudinal study of 181 children from fourth through fifth grade are reported. Levels of growth in children’s computation, word problem, and estimation skills using common fractions were predicted by working memory, attentive classroom behavior, conceptual knowledge about fractions, and simple arithmetic fluency. Comparisons of 55 participants identified as having mathematical difficulties to those without mathematical difficulties revealed that group differences in emerging fraction skills were consistently mediated by attentive classroom behavior and conceptual knowledge about fractions. Neither working memory nor arithmetic fluency mediated group differences in growth in fraction skills. It was also found that the development of basic fraction skills and conceptual knowledge are bidirectional in that conceptual knowledge exerted strong influences on all three types of basic fraction skills, and basic fraction skills exerted a more modest influence on subsequent conceptual knowledge. Results are discussed with reference to how the identification of potentially malleable student characteristics that contribute to the difficulties that some students have with fractions informs interventions and also will contribute to a future theoretical account concerning how domain general and domain specific factors influence the development of basic fraction skills.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1037%2Fa0019824

Volume

102

Issue

4

Link to Full Text
Peer Reviewed

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