The influence of early literacy competences on later mathematical attainment: Evidence from TIMSS & PIRLS 2011

Children’s competence levels in numeracy and literacy before or at school onset are good predictors of their attainment over the school years. Nevertheless, there are large differences in the level of numeracy and literacy knowledge among children at school entry. This initial knowledge gap has long-lasting negative consequences for the poor performers. Here we used international secondary data from the PIRLS&TIMSS 2011 as well as TIMSS 2011, including background data collected with the Learning to Read Survey, to identify early literacy practices that predict later mathematical attainment. Previous studies conducted using the same dataset have reported that early numeracy and literacy abilities before school onset (as reported by parents) are associated with students’ later mathematical and reading attainment, respectively. Nevertheless recent theoretical frameworks of early mathematical development include certain literacy skills as an independent predictors of mathematical performance. Using ordinary least square regression models we found that early numeracy competences consistently predicted later mathematical attainment while the effects of early literacy competences were variable and not always significant for the individual countries. Results also showed a stronger influence of early reading abilities than of early writing abilities on later mathematical attainment. The identified effects were independent of children’s gender, home resources for learning, parents’ highest education and occupation level, student years of pre-school attendance and early numeracy abilities. This report complements and extents previous body of research by determining the relative impact that early literacy skills have on later mathematical attainment across EU countries. Findings highlight the importance of including numeracy and literacy practices in the preprimary curriculum as well as the challenges of implementing ECEC curricula on the basis of identified best practices from international research

DOMAIN-SPECIFIC AND DOMAIN-GENERAL INFLUENCES ON EARLY MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Two domain-specific quantity systems have been proposed; the “Precise Number System” for small precise numerical representations, and the “Approximate Number System” for imprecise numerical representations (Feigenson, Dehaene, & Spelke, 2004). The efficiency of these systems has been individually associated with numerical competence (Mazzocco, Feigenson, & Halberda, 2011; Schleifer & Landerl, 2011). Phonological awareness and VSSP functioning are domain-general cognitive skills which have been shown to contribute to distinct aspects of early numerical competence (Krajewski & Schneider, 2009; LeFevre et al., 2010). Krajewski and Schneider’s model (2009) proposes three distinct developmental levels of early number skills; phonological awareness contributes to basic verbal number skills (Level I) while VSSP functioning and quantitative skills contribute to quantity to number-word linkage (Level II) and to early arithmetic skills (Level III). This thesis examines the longitudinal and independent contributions that domain-specific and domain-general cognitive skills make to early number skills and to two standardised mathematical attainment measures. Verbal, visuo-spatial and quantitative skills were assessed in 129 children at the start of Reception Year. Precise quantity discrimination skills predicted performance and growth in children’s ability to count objects (Level II), approximate quantity discrimination skills predicted performance and growth in reciting the number-word sequence (Level I) and the two domain-general cognitive skills predicted performance and growth in performing simple arithmetic skills (Level III) over an eighteen-month period. Also, approximate quantity discrimination skills, phonological awareness and VSSP functioning predicted performance in both mathematical attainment measures over a six-month period. However VSSP functioning predicted performance and growth in a specific mathematical attainment measure over an eighteen-month period. Each cognitive skill seems to have a circumscribed role as a precursor of specific later number skills. This suggests that identifying deficits in these cognitive skills and designing targeted-intervention programmes for children in the very early stages of schooling could prevent later general mathematical deficits

Examining Associations Between Preschool Home Literacy Experiences, Language, Cognition And Early Word Reading: Evidence From A Longitudinal Study

Research Findings: The study investigated whether preschool code-related home literacy experiences had direct associations with regular and irregular word reading in the first year of primary school as well as exploring whether there were indirect associations between these experiences and later word reading via children\u2019s language skills or inhibitory control. The parents of 274 preschool children completed a home learning questionnaire at time 1 (Mage  = 3:11). At time 2, the children completed phonological awareness, vocabulary, inhibitory control and nonverbal reasoning assessments (Mage  = 4:3) and at time 3 a word reading assessment (Mage  = 5:3). Letter-sound interactions (a code-related home literacy index that included discussions about letter-sound associations) bore significant associations with children\u2019s word reading, whereas letter activities (a code-related index that was less focussed on letter-sound links) did not. Path analyses indicated that letter-sound interactions directly predicted regular word reading and predicted regular and irregular word reading indirectly via children\u2019s phonological awareness. These findings highlight that different aspects of code-related home literacy experiences are differentially associated with later word reading skills. Practice and Policy: The findings suggest that parents\u2019 integration of interactive, age-appropriate discussions that focus on letter-sound associations into children\u2019s everyday experiences may support emerging word decoding skills

Pre-Schoolers’ Home Numeracy and Home Literacy Experiences and Their Relationships with Early Number Skills: Evidence from a UK Study

Research Findings. It has been proposed that the home literacy environment may influence the development of early number skills. However, the results of studies examining the association between home literacy experiences and early number skills are mixed. This could be due to the way that the home literacy experiences are conceptualized and measured. This study examines the relationship between early number skills and aspects of the home learning environment. Alongside home number experiences and parental mathematical attitudes, two types of home literacy experiences were examined in a sample of 274 pre-schoolers (mean age 4:0, SD 4 months); code-focused home literacy experiences that focus on the phonological and orthographic features of language, and meaning-focused home literacy experiences that focus on sharing the meaning of language and text. Home number experiences and letter-sound interactions (interactive code-focused literacy experiences) were related to the children’s counting, number transcoding, and calculation skills whereas meaning-focused home literacy experiences and parental mathematical attitudes were largely unrelated to these early number skills. Structural equation models indicated that only letter-sound interactions could predict statistically significant unique variance in counting, number transcoding, and calculation. Practice or Policy. These findings suggest that code– rather than meaning-focused home literacy experiences are related to pre-schoolers early number skills. Supporting parents to engage in code-focused home literacy experiences may benefit pre-schoolers number skills as well as their emergent literacy

A Light Calibration System for the ProtoDUNE-DP Detector

A LED-based fiber calibration system for the ProtoDUNE-Dual Phase (DP) photon detection system (PDS) has been designed and validated. ProtoDUNE-DP is a 6x6x6 m3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber currently being installed at the Neutrino Platform at CERN. The PDS is based on 36 8-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and will allow triggering on cosmic rays. The system serves as prototype for the PDS of the final DUNE DP far detector in which the PDS also has the function to allow the 3D event reconstruction on non-beam physics. For this purpose an equalized PMT response is desirable to allow using the same threshold definition for all PMT groups, simplifying the determination of the trigger efficiency. The light calibration system described in this paper is developed to provide this and to monitor the PMT performance in-situ.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Identifying the preschool home learning experiences that predict early number skills: Evidence from a longitudinal study

This study examines the longitudinal relationships between home learning experiences and early number skills. The counting, number transcoding and calculation skills of 274 children were assessed in the penultimate term of preschool (Mage = 4:0). Prior to these assessments, parents completed questionnaires that surveyed the frequency of the children's home learning experiences. Three types of experiences were indexed: code-focused home literacy experiences that focus on the phonological and orthographic features of language, meaning-focused home literacy experiences that focus on sharing the meaning of language and text, and home number experiences. The children's language abilities (phonological awareness and vocabulary) and nonverbal abilities (inhibitory control and nonverbal reasoning) were assessed in the final term of preschool (Mage = 4:3). Their number skills were reassessed in the final term of the first year of primary school (Mage = 5:3). Home letter–sound interaction experiences (interactive code-focused literacy experiences) had significant longitudinal relationships with counting and number transcoding that were independent of language and nonverbal abilities. The relationship between letter–sound interaction experiences and later counting was also independent of the autoregressive influence of baseline counting ability. We extend previous findings by demonstrating that interactive code-focused home literacy experiences in the preschool period predict growth in counting skills even when a broad range of language and cognitive abilities are controlled. Supporting parents to engage in code-focused home literacy experiences may benefit pre-schoolers’ counting skills

Characteristics of the preschool home literacy environment which predict writing skills at school

Aspects of the preschool home learning environment which may foster reading development have been identified, although their relationships with spelling and writing remain unclear. The present study explored associations between the preschool home literacy environment (HLE), language and nonverbal abilities and children’s spelling and writing skills measured two years later. A parental questionnaire recorded the reported frequency of pre-schoolers’ code- and meaning-related home literacy experiences, alongside an index of book exposure. One hundred and twenty one children (60 female, Mage= 6:7 SD= 3.67 months) contributed data assessing their transcription skills, indexed by handwriting fluency and word spelling, and translation abilities, indexed by sentence generation and the ability to produce more extended text. Exploratory factor analyses confirmed distinct factors relating to the productivity and complexity of writing samples. Regression analyses revealed that the frequency of preschool code-related, letter-sound interactions explained significant variance in children’s transcription skills at school, independently of earlier language and nonverbal abilities. In contrast, experiences in the preschool HLE were not related to the higher level writing skills of translation and text production. The implications of the findings for our understanding of the cognitive and environmental factors associated with children’s early writing development are discussed