Effects of figural and numerical presentation formats on growing pattern performance

Abstract

Prior work exploring preschool-aged children’s reasoning with repeating patterns has shown that patterning ability is an important predictor of math achievement; however, there is limited research exploring older children’s growing pattern task performance. The current study tested whether presentation format impacts performance on growing pattern problems, and whether the effects of presentation format extend to transfer word problems for which no patterns are provided. Sixth grade students were randomly assigned to complete several growing pattern tasks in one of three presentation formats (figures, sequences of values, or tables of values), and later completed transfer story problems with no figures, sequences, or tables provided. Findings suggest that presenting growing patterns as figures can benefit performance, although these benefits may depend on both pattern type and task. No differences were observed in performance on transfer problems, likely because students rarely spontaneously generated figures. Additional exploratory analyses suggest that performance on growing pattern problems may be related to both standardized math ability and fraction task performance, whereas inhibitory control may only be related to performance for specific patterning tasks. These findings have implications for educators because describing/expressing patterns is critical to algebra and higher-level mathematics.

Number lines can be more effective at facilitating adults’ performance on health-related ratio problems than risk ladders and icon arrays.

“…In the present study, the two commonly used visuals in health-related research, risk ladders and icon arrays, did not lead to better performance than no visual display at all. The goal of including visuals in the present study and other work (Fitzsimmons, Woodbury, et al, 2022; Mielicki et al, 2021; Sidney, Thompson, & Rivera, 2019; Thompson et al, 2021) is to visually communicate how the part relates to the whole, and should promote a portable and durable conceptual understanding of rational number magnitudes when people encounter them in various contexts. Though substantial research in health decision-making has examined the use of visuals to help people, especially those low in numeracy, better understand risk magnitudes (Ancker et al, 2006; Bonner et al, 2021; Garcia-Retamero & Cokely, 2013, 2017; Garcia-Retamero et al, 2012; Trevena et al, 2021), the goal of these visuals is to ease the mathematical burden such that people can more easily comprehend risk magnitudes perceptually (Waters et al, 2016).…”

Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy

“…6 Math educators (Moss & Case, 1999) have proposed that percentages may function as a conceptual bridge between more familiar natural numbers and less familiar fractions. In addition, people endorse more positive attitudes toward percentages than fractions (Mielicki, Fitzsimmons, Schiller, et al, 2021; Sidney et al, 2021). Thinking about percentages can engage knowledge about natural-number magnitudes.…”