Article Version of Record

How do different aspects of spatial skills relate to early arithmetic and number line estimation?

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Cornu, Véronique
Hornung, Caroline
Schiltz, Christine
Martin, Romain

Abstract / Description

The present study investigated the predictive role of spatial skills for arithmetic and number line estimation in kindergarten children (N = 125). Spatial skills are known to be related to mathematical development, but due to the construct’s non-unitary nature, different aspects of spatial skills need to be differentiated. In the present study, a spatial orientation task, a spatial visualization task and visuo-motor integration task were administered to assess three different aspects of spatial skills. Furthermore, we assessed counting abilities, knowledge of Arabic numerals, quantitative knowledge, as well as verbal working memory and verbal intelligence in kindergarten. Four months later, the same children performed an arithmetic and a number line estimation task to evaluate how the abilities measured at Time 1 predicted early mathematics outcomes. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that children’s performance in arithmetic was predicted by their performance on the spatial orientation and visuo-motor integration task, as well as their knowledge of the Arabic numerals. Performance in number line estimation was significantly predicted by the children’s spatial orientation performance. Our findings emphasize the role of spatial skills, notably spatial orientation, in mathematical development. The relation between spatial orientation and arithmetic was partially mediated by the number line estimation task. Our results further show that some aspects of spatial skills might be more predictive of mathematical development than others, underlining the importance to differentiate within the construct of spatial skills when it comes to understanding numerical development.

Keyword(s)

spatial skills early mathematics development kindergarten arithmetic number line estimation

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2017-12-22

Journal title

Journal of Numerical Cognition

Volume

3

Issue

2

Page numbers

309–343

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Cornu, V., Hornung, C., Schiltz, C., & Martin, R. (2017). How do different aspects of spatial skills relate to early arithmetic and number line estimation? Journal of Numerical Cognition, 3(2), 309–343. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i2.36
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Cornu, Véronique
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Hornung, Caroline
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Schiltz, Christine
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Martin, Romain
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-11-21T11:42:45Z
  • Made available on
    2018-11-21T11:42:45Z
  • Date of first publication
    2017-12-22
  • Abstract / Description
    The present study investigated the predictive role of spatial skills for arithmetic and number line estimation in kindergarten children (N = 125). Spatial skills are known to be related to mathematical development, but due to the construct’s non-unitary nature, different aspects of spatial skills need to be differentiated. In the present study, a spatial orientation task, a spatial visualization task and visuo-motor integration task were administered to assess three different aspects of spatial skills. Furthermore, we assessed counting abilities, knowledge of Arabic numerals, quantitative knowledge, as well as verbal working memory and verbal intelligence in kindergarten. Four months later, the same children performed an arithmetic and a number line estimation task to evaluate how the abilities measured at Time 1 predicted early mathematics outcomes. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that children’s performance in arithmetic was predicted by their performance on the spatial orientation and visuo-motor integration task, as well as their knowledge of the Arabic numerals. Performance in number line estimation was significantly predicted by the children’s spatial orientation performance. Our findings emphasize the role of spatial skills, notably spatial orientation, in mathematical development. The relation between spatial orientation and arithmetic was partially mediated by the number line estimation task. Our results further show that some aspects of spatial skills might be more predictive of mathematical development than others, underlining the importance to differentiate within the construct of spatial skills when it comes to understanding numerical development.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Cornu, V., Hornung, C., Schiltz, C., & Martin, R. (2017). How do different aspects of spatial skills relate to early arithmetic and number line estimation? Journal of Numerical Cognition, 3(2), 309–343. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i2.36
    en_US
  • ISSN
    2363-8761
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1255
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1447
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i2.36
  • Keyword(s)
    spatial skills
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    early mathematics development
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    kindergarten
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    arithmetic
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    number line estimation
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    How do different aspects of spatial skills relate to early arithmetic and number line estimation?
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    2
  • Journal title
    Journal of Numerical Cognition
  • Page numbers
    309–343
  • Volume
    3
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record