About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 8. Education, Schooling

Abstract

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This study explored the impact of an Approximate Number System (ANS) training on improving symbolic arithmetic performance in low-achieving first-grade children. The ANS is an intuitive ability to estimate quantities without symbols or language, shared across species (Izard, Sann, Spelke, & Streri, 2009). Previous research has demonstrated a positive correlation between ANS precision and symbolic math performance (Chen & Li, 2014; Feigenson, Libertus, & Halberda, 2013), leading to the hypothesis that ANS training could enhance arithmetic skills. However, this approach has been debated (Scucs & Myers, 2017), and little research has addressed its effectiveness in low-achieving children.

The primary objectives of this study were to develop and validate an ANS training program for low-achieving Grade 1 students and to assess which type of ANS training is most effective in improving arithmetic fluency. A total of 334 children from 13 schools in Catalonia, Spain, participated in a screening pre-test to identify low achievers (Correig-Fraga, Vilalta-Riera, & Calvo-Pesce, 2024), with 86 students (lowest 30th percentile in arithmetic fluency) included in the intervention program. The intervention comprised two four-week phases, where children played math games for 10 minutes, 4 days per week.

Children were divided into three groups. In Phase 1, Group 1 played a game comparing groups of dots to identify the larger group (Simple ANS Comparison), while Group 2 participated in a similar game which also involved making approximate arithmetic estimations (Arithmetic ANS Comparison) (Hyde, Khanum & Spelke, 2014). Group 3 served as a control, participating in math-related games which did not involve counting or estimating quantities. In Phase 2, Group 1 received control activities, while Groups 2 and 3 played the Arithmetic ANS Comparison game, which this time involved mapping approximate quantities to symbolic Arabic digits (Ferres-Forga et al., 2022).

Results showed that pre-test ANS acuity was closely correlated with arithmetic fluency (r = 0.523). However, although children improved throughout the intervention, there was no consistent evidence that the intervention led to significant improvements. No interaction between achievement groups and intervention type was found (p > 0.1), and no significant improvements in arithmetic fluency or ANS were observed when directly comparing children in different groups (all p > 0.1). However, children in Groups 1 and 2 showed significant improvements compared to peers who did not receive the intervention (Group 1: t(1, 54) = 3.23, p = 0.002; Group 2: t(1, 44) = 3.47, p = 0.001), while Group 3 showed no significant improvement (t(1, 31) = 0.89, p = 0.38) compared to the peers in their group.

These findings suggest that ANS training may be more beneficial than mapping ANS to symbolic representations for improving arithmetic fluency in low-achieving children. However, the evidence is weak and inconclusive, raising questions about the effectiveness of ANS training in this population and the need for further investigation into factors such as intervention duration and training type.

Author information

Author	Role
Eudald Correig-Fraga, Universitat Rovira I Virgili	Presenting author
Marc Colomer, Innovamat Education	Non-presenting author
Marta Herranz, Innovamat Education	Non-presenting author
Paula Muñoz, Innovamat Education	Non-presenting author

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