open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/90576

Understanding of base-10 concept and its application : a cross-cultural comparison between Japan and Singapore

英語

number-naming system

2020-11-25

Taylor & Francis

International Journal of Early Years Education

30(4)

766-780

It has become increasingly clear that the early use of decomposition for addition is associated with later mathematical achievement. This study examined how younger children execute a base-10 decomposition strategy to solve complex arithmetic (e.g., two-digit addition). 24 addition problems in two modalities (WA: Written Arithmetic; OA: Oral Arithmetic) with sums less than 100 were administered to 22 Japanese and 22 Singaporean 6-year-old kindergarteners. Our findings reveal that they were able to solve complex addition. For instance, Japanese kindergarteners tended to solve complex arithmetic using base-10 decomposition across the modality, whereas Singaporean kindergarteners used standard algorithms and basic counting to solve complex WA and OA problems, respectively. We speculate that Japanese kindergarteners might have a clearer understanding of the base-10 concept and were able to use this knowledge more readily than Singaporean kindergarteners. Mathematical experiences in kindergarten and number-naming systems have been put forward as two of the crucial contributors for such cross-cultural differences. This study also provides new directions for future research on the understanding of the base-10 concept and its application among young children.

学術雑誌論文

Accepted Manuscript

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Early Years Education on 25　Nov 2020, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09669760.2020.1848525.

0966-9760

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