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Resumo El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la contribución de la inteligencia verbal y no verbal, el nivel socioeconómico y el ambiente de aprendizaje matemático en el hogar, en el desempeño de patrones matemáticos de niños ecuatorianos de jardín infantil. Al inicio del año escolar, se aplicó una prueba de patrones matemáticos y una de inteligencia a un total de 112 niños. El nivel socioeconómico se construyó en base al nivel educativo de la madre. Finalmente, los padres de los niños llenaron un cuestionario sobre las actividades matemáticas que realizan con los niños en el hogar. Los resultados señalaron que la inteligencia no verbal, el nivel socioeconómico y el ambiente de aprendizaje matemático en el hogar predicen el desempeño en patrones matemáticos de los niños. La inteligencia verbal no fue un predictor de dicho desempeño. Al final, se discuten críticamente los hallazgos del estudio con miras a mejorar la calidad de la educación matemática a temprana edad. Abstract The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of verbal and non-verbal intelligence, socioeconomic status, and mathematical home learning environment in Ecuadorian kindergarten children’s mathematical patterning performance. At the beginning of the school year, a total of 112 children received an intelligence and a mathematical patterning test. The socioeconomic status was constructed based on the mother’s educational level. Finally, the children’s parents filled out a questionnaire about the mathematical activities they carry out with the child at home. The results indicated that non-verbal intelligence, socioeconomic status, and the mathematical home learning environment predict children’s performance on mathematical patterns. Verbal intelligence was not a predictor of such performance. At the end, the study findings are critically discussed with a view to optimizing the quality of mathematics education at an early age.

El desarrollo de las habilidades de conciencia fonológica en edades tempranas es un predictor fundamental del aprendizaje de la lectura y la escritura. La presente revisión bibliográfica tuvo como objetivo brindar una visión general acerca de la importancia del desarrollo de la conciencia fonológica en edades tempranas. Para ello, se recolectó, analizó y discutió literatura relevante sobre las habilidades de conciencia fonológica de niños de cuatro a seis años de edad. Los resultados de estudios correlacionales y de intervención descritos indican que la estimulación y desarrollo de las habilidades de conciencia fonológica en edades tempranas se relaciona positivamente con el aprendizaje de la lectura y la escritura.

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

Incluso antes de iniciar la educación formal, existen grandes diferencias individuales en el desempeño numérico de los niños, sin embargo, el conocimiento sobre los mecanismos a través de los cuales los niños pequeños desarrollan habilidades numéricas es limitado. Ciertas características contextuales que rodean a los niños, incluyendo el ambiente de aprendizaje en el hogar y nivel de instrucción materna, han evidenciado relación con su desempeño numérico. Investigaciones sobre este tema se han llevado a cabo mayoritariamente en países desarrollados, lo cual implica que la generalización de hallazgos previos, sea una pregunta abierta para países en vías de desarrollo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue examinar la relación que existe entre el entorno de aprendizaje en el hogar de los niños y el nivel de instrucción materna con el desempeño numérico de los niños de primer año de básica. En el estudio participaron 176 niños de primer año de básica, de escuelas públicas y privadas de Cuenca. Los resultados indican que ciertas características del ambiente de aprendizaje en el hogar, como las actividades numéricas y de lectoescritura que los padres realizan con sus hijos, no se relacionan con el desempeño numérico de los niños. Sin embargo, el número de libros para niños disponibles en el hogar se relaciona predictivamente con su desempeño numérico. De igual manera, el nivel de instrucción materna presenta una relación predictiva con el desempeño numérico de los niños. Even before the start of formal schooling, there are large individual differences in children’s numerical performance, however, the knowledge about the mechanisms through which young children develop numerical abilities is limited. Certain contextual characteristics surrounding the children, including the home learning environment and the mother’s education, have been associated with children’s numerical performance. Research on this topic has been conducted mostly in developed countries, which makes the generality of those findings for developing countries, an open question. The aim of the present study was to examine the relations between the home learning environment and the mother’s education and the numerical abilities of first-grade children. A total of 176 cuencano children from public and private schools participated in the study. The results indicate that certain characteristics of the home environment, such as the numerical and literacy activities that parents perform with their children, are not related to the numerical performance of the children. However, the number of books for children available in the home is predictively related to their numerical performance. Similarly, the level of maternal education has a predictive relationship with children´s numerical performance. Cuenca volumen 8, número 2

El objetivo del presente estudio fue examinar la influencia del nivel socioeconómico de los niños de jardín infantil en el desarrollo de sus habilidades numéricas tempranas y su enfoque espontáneo en el número (SFON), después de controlar por variables cognitivas de dominio general, como inteligencia y memoria de trabajo, y por edad. Al iniciar el jardín infantil, 355 niños y niñas resolvieron una batería de pruebas para evaluar sus habilidades numéricas tempranas, SFON, inteligencia y memoria de trabajo. Los resultados indican que existen diferencias individuales en las habilidades numéricas tempranas y el SFON de los niños ecuatorianos al iniciar el jardín infantil. Además, el nivel socioeconómico se correlacionó positivamente con las habilidades numéricas tempranas, pero no con el SFON. Al final se discuten las implicaciones teóricas, metodológicas y prácticas del estudio.

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.

Young children’s spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) predicts their later mathematical competencies. In this study we investigated the development of SFON in Ecuadorian kindergartners as well as the contribution of early numerical abilities and the quality of mathematics education to this development. The participants were 100 kindergartners drawn from 10 classrooms. Children 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. The quality of mathematics education was assessed twice via the COEMET instrument. Results demonstrated limited SFON development during the kindergarten year, with large individual differences in and highly consistent SFON performances. Additionally, children’s SFON development during the kindergarten year was predicted by their SFON tendency and early numerical abilities at the start of the year. The quality of mathematics education did not contribute to children’s SFON development. The scientific and practical implications of these results are discussed.

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

This study aimed at (a) constructing a reliable and valid test to assess Ecuadorian 4–5-year olds’ number and arithmetic skills; (b) providing empirical data on Ecuadorian 4–5-year olds’ number and arithmetic skills; and (c) confronting these children’s actual performances with the performances expected by national experts in this domain. We administered the Test of Early Number and Arithmetic (TENA), developed on the basis of the Ecuadorian mathematics standards to 86 Preschoolers and 127 Kindergartners and asked 10 experts to evaluate TENA’s validity and predict children’s performances on it. Results supported the overall reliability and validity of the TENA. Furthermore, we observed differences in number and arithmetic competencies between and within Preschoolers and Kindergartners, but not between boys and girls. Finally, experts overestimated children’s performances on the test. The scientific and practical implications of these results are discussed.