Linguistic influence on mathematical development is specific rather than pervasive: revisiting the Chinese Number Advantage in Chinese and English children

Frontiers in Psychology
Winifred Mark, Ann Dowker

Abstract

The relative linguistic transparency of the Asian counting system has been used to explain Asian students' relative superiority in cross-cultural comparisons of mathematics achievement. To test the validity and extent of linguistic transparency in accounting for mathematical abilities, this study tested Chinese and British primary school children. Children in Hong Kong can learn mathematics using languages with both regular (Chinese) and irregular (English) counting systems, depending on their schools' medium of instruction. This makes it possible to compare groups with varying levels of exposure to the regular and irregular number systems within the same educational system, curriculum, and cultural environment. The study included three groups of first/second graders and third/fourth graders with varying degrees of experience to the Chinese language and counting systems: no experience (UK; n = 49); spoke Chinese at home and learnt to count in English at school (HK-E; n = 43); spoke Chinese at home and learnt to count in Chinese at school (HK-C; n = 47). They were compared on counting, numerical abilities and place value representation. The present study also measured nonverbal reasoning, attitude toward mathematics, involvement...Continue Reading

References

Sep 23, 1997·Journal of Experimental Child Psychology·J N Towse, M Saxton
May 16, 1998·Journal of Experimental Child Psychology·M Saxton, J N Towse
Apr 18, 2006·Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology = Revue Canadienne De Psychologie Expérimentale·Carmen RasmussenJeffrey Bisanz
Nov 3, 2010·Journal of Experimental Child Psychology·S PixnerL Kaufmann
Jul 1, 2011·Frontiers in Psychology·Anna M BorghiClaudia Scorolli

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Citations

Feb 26, 2019·Frontiers in Psychology·Ann Dowker, Anthony M Li
Jul 11, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Julia BahnmuellerKorbinian Moeller
Jul 30, 2019··Kyle ReestmanBrian Dorn

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