Turkish First Graders’ Use of Cardinality and Related Concepts in Problem Situations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the number knowledge, the development of counting principles and the use of counting as a strategy in different problem situations in first grade primary school students. Participants were 129 first graders from different schools. Data were collected through a measurement tool prepared by researchers and consisted of 12 questions used previously in similar research. The results showed that questions which require generating sets of objects and using the predecessor-successor function of numbers are more difficult for students than “how many” type questions. Furthermore, it was found that the cardinality principle was less developed compared to other skills. It was concluded that knowledge and skills related to counting were improved
with age. Implications for the education of newly schooled children were discussed.