“We cannot ignore the signs: The development of equivalence and arithmetic for students from grades 3 to 4” (authors C. Xu, S. Burr, J. Si, J. LeFevre, and X. Zhuo). Journal of Cognition and Development, 2024. DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2023.2245507 (open access).
In this paper, we show that for Chinese students in grade 3, fluency of access to arithmetic facts supports their knowledge of the meaning of the equal sign in grade 4. This research was done in collaboration with two of my former Ph.D. students, Xu and Burr, and colleagues in China. It highlights the interactions among knowledge of basic facts and conceptual understanding in the development of children’s arithmetic skill. Fluency of access to mathematical knowledge is a fundamental feature of skilled performance.
More information on the Math Lab website.