Assessing the Development of Preschoolers' Mathematical Patterning

Abstract

The development of patterning strategies during the year prior to formal schooling was studied in 53 children from 2 similar preschools. One preschool implemented a 6-month intervention focusing on repeating and spatial patterns. An interview-based Early Mathematical Patterning Assessment (EMPA) was developed and administered pre- and postintervention, and again following the 1st year of formal schooling. The intervention group outperformed the comparison group across a wide range of patterning tasks at the post- and follow-up assessments. Children from the intervention group demonstrated greater understanding of unit of repeat and spatial structuring, and most were also able to extend and explain growing patterns 1 year later. In contrast, most of the comparison group treated repeating patterns as alternating items and rarely recognized simple geometrical patterns. The findings indicate a fundamental link between patterning and multiplicative reasoning through the development of composite units.

Teaching Early Literacy, Mathematics, and Patterning to Kindergartners

“…It is noteworthy that not only was the patterning group not superior to the literacy group on mathematics, but there was also no correlation between the patterning scores of all 39 children and their KEYmath algebra scores. The theoretical arguments advanced by numerous educators (Baroody, 1993, Clements & Sarama, 2007a, 2007b, 2007cPapic, 2007, Papic et al, 2011Warren, Cooper, & Lamb, 2006 and others) have indicated that there should be a relation between patterning and (pre)algebra for young children. However, these theorists were speaking of simple alternating patterns, not complex patterns such as those used here and with first graders.…”

“…However, the control children came from another school, which suggest an alternative explanation. A study of preschoolers by Papic, Mulligan, & Mitchelmore (2011) had the same limitation. There are substantial practical difficulties in assigning children to conditions randomly when they are enrolled in educational programs.…”

Empirical Studies of Patterning

“…Papic, Mulligan, and Mitchelmore (2011) gave preschoolers 14 sessions of instruction on alternating patterns in more complex configurations than those usually taught, and also added instruction on spatial structure tasks. Twenty-seven children from one Australian preschool served as the experimental group; 26 from another constituted a control group.…”

“…Some researchers have explored children's ability to identify the repeating unit of an alternating pattern (Clements & Sarama, 2011;Miller et al, 2015;Papic et al, 2011;Rittle-Johnson et al, 2013). Papic et al (2011) studied children from two private Australian preschools which enrolled pupils who were competent in English (but 80% came from non-English-speaking backgrounds).…”

“…Papic et al (2011) studied children from two private Australian preschools which enrolled pupils who were competent in English (but 80% came from non-English-speaking backgrounds). The children gave 34% -47% correct responses on tasks with blocks placed in towers, but were 74% -81% correct when the children were asked to make a the outline of a rectangle with 12 units alternating in an ABAB pattern.…”