Abstract
Understanding of arithmetic concepts in the elementary and middle school years is not only essential for developing current mathematical skills and knowledge but also as a foundation for later mathematical skills. Researchers are increasingly interested in arithmetic concepts and valuable knowledge has been gained. However, much of the research has taken a cross-sectional approach and studied and compared different groups of children of different ages or grades. An alternative but less frequently used approach is a longitudinal design in which the same children are studied across several years or grades. In this chapter we discuss the pros and cons of both approaches and focus on some recent longitudinal findings on the development of conceptual knowledge of arithmetic. Research and practical implications for educators and parents are discussed and outlined for promoting the development of children’s understanding of arithmetic concepts.
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Robinson, K.M., Buchko, D.M. (2023). Longitudinal Approaches to Investigating Arithmetic Concepts Across the Elementary and Middle School Years. In: Robinson, K.M., Dubé, A.K., Kotsopoulos, D. (eds) Mathematical Cognition and Understanding. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29195-1_10
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