Development of SFON in Ecuadorian Kindergartners

Abstract

<p>This study explored the development of Ecuadorian Kindergartners’ spontaneous</p><p>focusing on numerosity (SFON) during the kindergarten year, as well as the</p><p>contribution of early numerical abilities to this development. One hundred</p><p>Kindergartners coming from ten classrooms received two SFON tasks, one at the</p><p>beginning and one at the end of the school year, and an early numerical abilities</p><p>achievement test at the beginning of the school year. Results first demonstrated</p><p>limited SFON development during the kindergarten year, with inter-individual differences</p><p>and intra-individual stability of children’s SFON tendency. Second, both children’s</p><p>SFON tendency and their early numerical abilities at the start of the</p><p>kindergarten year were predictively related to their SFON tendency at the end of</p><p>the year. Our results do not only add to our theoretical understanding of SFON in</p><p>young children, but also inform educational policy and practices in the domain of</p><p>early mathematics education in Ecuador, as they provide building blocks for optimizing</p><p>the educational goals and curricula for kindergarten mathematics.</p>