Etude de validité de la batterie Examath 5-8 chez les enfants en fin de MSM

Abstract

Context: Predictors of mathematical skill development are present before the kindergarten at 4-5 years old. Therefore, an assessment of mathematical skills in children of this age is useful in order to diagnose a specific learning disability or to screen a risk of such a disability in mathematics at an early stage in case of suspected difficulties. Currently, there are no recent test allowing for a thorough evaluation of skills in children of this age. Moreover, the Examath 5-8 battery demonstrates good psychometric properties in children from kindergarten to third grade and shows saturated scores at the end of kindergarten on tasks corresponding to early developmental skills. Objective: The objective of this research was therefore to investigate the acceptability, the accessibility, and the construct validity of a selection of tests from the Examath 5-8 battery in 4-5-year-old children. Method: The sample was 36 4-5-year-old children without speech-and-language therapy for mathematical or language difficulties. Results: The results showed good acceptability by children, good accessibility for the 4-5-year-old children, and good construct validity linked to the grade level (in comparison with 5-6-year-old children). Further studies will be needed to evaluate the sensitivity and discriminant validity of these tests to guarantee the diagnosis power of the battery for this age group.