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Young children’s early repeating patterning abilities are important foundations for their later mathematical development. Prior studies on young children’s repeating patterning abilities have been conducted exclusively in developed countries differing in economic, societal and educational characteristics from developing countries. In this study, we analyzed the performance and the errors of 4- to 5-year-olds on three repeating patterning tasks, and we investigated the association between children’s repeating patterning abilities and their early mathematical abilities in a developing country, Ecuador. A total of 60 preschoolers and 56 kindergartners completed a repeating patterning test and an early mathematics test at the end of the school year. Results first indicated rather low repeating patterning performances of both preschoolers and kindergartens, with large inter-individual differences in these performances. Kindergartners had significantly better patterning abilities than preschoolers. Second, error analyses indicated that children made different types of errors when solving the patterning tasks. The majority of errors were pattern-related errors, with preschoolers making more errors that were not pattern related than kindergarteners. Third, children’s patterning abilities were positively associated with early mathematical abilities in both grades. These results complement current theoretical models of young children’s mathematical development and inform educational policy and practices in this domain for developing countries. ispartof: European Journal Of Psychology Of Education vol:36 issue:4 pages:1-20 status: Published online

The home numeracy questionnaire (HNQ) developed by LeFevre et al. (2009) is a self-report instrument to assess the home numeracy of young children. In this questionnaire, young children’s parents have to indicate how often their child participates both in direct (e.g., counting down: 10, 9, 8, …) and indirect numeracy activities (e.g., playing board games with die or spinner). Based on a principal component analysis, LeFevre and colleagues found a four factor structure of the HNQ. Using a sample of 176 Ecuadorian parents, we investigated the validity and reliability of the HNQ in a developing country. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that, with minor changes to the model, the same four factor model could be found as by LeFevre et al. (2009). This study not only confirmed the validity and reliability of the HNQ, but also showed its usefulness for investigating young children’s home numeracy beyond developed countries

Recent evidence indicates that young children's spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) uniquely contributes to their early numerical abilities. This study complements previous findings by validating the relation between young children's SFON and their early numerical abilities in a developing country, namely Ecuador. We analysed 355 Ecuadorian 5- to 6-year-olds' SFON in relation to their early numerical abilities at the start of kindergarten, controlling for children's socio-demographic (socio-economic status, age) and general cognitive (working memory, intelligence) characteristics. Our results evidence the unique contribution of Ecuadorian kindergartners' SFON to their early numerical abilities, controlling for children's working memory, intelligence, socio-economic status, and age. Our findings support the validity of previous findings on the unique contribution of SFON to young children's early numerical abilities in developed countries for developing countries. Additionally, they raise timely questions for further theoretical and methodological studies on young children's numerical development worldwide, in developing and developed countries. Statement of contribution What is already known? SFON uniquely contributes to early numerical abilities. However, this is only documented in Finnish samples. Previously only limited control for domain-general cognitive and socio-demographic characteristics. What does the study add? SFON uniquely contributes to early numerical abilities in Ecuadorian 5- to 6-year-olds. This unique contribution remains after controlling for WM, IQ, SES, and age. Evidence for the universal nature of the association between SFON and early numerical ability.

This study explored the development of Ecuadorian Kindergartners’ spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) during the Kindergarten year, as well as the contribution of early numerical abilities to this development. 100 Kindergartners coming from 10 classrooms received two SFON tasks, one at the beginning and one at the end of the school year, and an early numerical abilities achievement test at the beginning of the school year. Results first demonstrated limited SFON development during the Kindergarten year, with inter-individual differences in and intra-individual stability of children’s SFON tendency. Second, both children’s SFON tendency and their early numerical abilities at the start of the Kindergarten year were predictively related to their SFON tendency at the end of the year. Our results do not only add to our theoretical understanding of SFON in young children, but also inform educational policy and practices in the domain of early mathematics education in Ecuador, as they provide building blocks for optimizing the educational goals and curricula for Kindergarten mathematics. ispartof: European Journal of Psychology of Education vol:32 issue:3 pages:449-462 status: published