Conceptual Precursors of Mathematical and Reading Outcomes The importance of learning to read is well-known, and much is also known about the precursors of reading skills (e.g., Scarborough, 1998; Schatschneider et al., 2004); however, less is known regarding the impact of such skills on the development of math competence. Math skills are also critical for day to day functioning and future employment, particularly in an progressively more technological society (CED, 2003; NCMST, 2000; McClosky & Macaruso, 1995, Rivera-Batiz, 1992). However, many aspects of math precursors and outcomes are not well understood in themselves, or as they relate to reading abilities and disabilities and precursors. Research on the precursors of mathematics and reading has focused on one of these domains to the exclusion of the other. However, the strong relationship between these domains makes it unlikely that this coordinated development occurs through non-overlapping sets of precursors. Precursors are operationalized here as cognitive skills that predict mathematical or reading outcomes but do not directly involve arithmetic or word reading. The objective of this grant is to identify whether there are underlying precursors of both mathematical and reading outcomes, and to determine their specificity/generality within or across academic domains. This information can improve the effectiveness of prediction of mathematical and reading outcomes in the context of one another. The project will use a two-year longitudinal design with one cohort of 450 kindergarten children. Precursors will be measured in Spring of Kindergarten, and outcome measures in Spring of Grade 1.
Specific Aim 1 uses a common sample to replicate and extend findings that have been reported separately for reading and mathematical precursors and outcomes.
Specific Aim 2 focuses on cross-domain prediction, including hypotheses about the degree to which precursors of one domain predict outcomes in the other, in the context of known precursors for that domain. The hypothesis that relations among precursors are sufficient to explain the relation between mathematical and reading outcomes will also be evaluated. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (ML-SEM) will be used, with precursors as predictors and mathematical and reading outcomes as criterion variables. ML-SEM models consider the degree to which student performance varies between students within the same classroom, as well as between students in different classrooms. The results of this project on the overlap of mathematical and reading precursors and their outcomes is an essential step in directing early identification procedures for students with difficulty in one or more areas of the mathematics and/or reading domains, and these results may also inform future studies that can enhance early prevention and intervention efforts. ? ? ?
| Cirino, Paul T; Child, Amanda E; Macdonald, Kelly (2018) Longitudinal Predictors of the Overlap between Reading and Math Skills. Contemp Educ Psychol 54:99-111 |
| Martin, Rebecca B; Cirino, Paul T; Sharp, Carla et al. (2014) NUMBER AND COUNTING SKILLS IN KINDERGARTEN AS PREDICTORS OF GRADE 1 MATHEMATICAL SKILLS. Learn Individ Differ 34:12-23 |
| Cirino, Paul T (2011) The interrelationships of mathematical precursors in kindergarten. J Exp Child Psychol 108:713-33 |
