STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Digit Dependence in Numerical Magnitude Judgments

Effective Years: 2019-2025

This proposal was submitted in response to EHR Core Research (ECR) program announcement NSF 19-508. The ECR program of fundamental research in STEM education provides funding in critical research areas that are essential, broad and enduring. EHR seeks proposals that will help synthesize, build and/or expand research foundations in the following focal areas: STEM learning, STEM learning environments, STEM workforce development, and broadening participation in STEM. The ECR program is distinguished by its emphasis on the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to (a) understand, (b) build theory to explain, and (c) suggest interventions (and innovations) to address persistent challenges in STEM interest, education, learning, and participation. This research examines numerical and mathematical cognitive processing, with accompanying correlational work that links study results to formal math skills and complex judgments relevant to mathematics literacy. Estimation tasks predict performance on real-world math outcomes; and are useful as teaching tools. Understanding these tasks, what they conceptually measure, and why these measures predict math outcomes, help us better teach math concepts. The research advances mathematics learning by carefully examining paradigms used in numerical cognition. The research team will conduct seven experimental studies of estimation tasks using number lines. The research team will examine whether participants' judgements of numeric magnitude are influenced by digit dependence; principally, the left most digit. The work will be conducted with subjects aged 3-11, as well as adults. To support causal claims, participants will be randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The data will be analyzed causally using analysis of variance techniques. The studies have been appropriately powered to warrant all research claims. The proposed research advances basic knowledge of mathematics learning by carefully examining research paradigms that inform theories of cognition, development, and learning. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

10 Publications Related to This Project: