What Is the Long-run Impact of Learning Mathematics During Preschool?

Publication Date

1-20-2017

Document Type

Article

Organizational Units

Morgridge College of Education, Teaching and Learning Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction

Keywords

Preschool, Mathematics, Achievement, Long‐run impact, Developmental theory

Abstract

The current study estimated the causal links between preschool mathematics learning and late elementary school mathematics achievement using variation in treatment assignment to an early mathematics intervention as an instrument for preschool mathematics change. Estimates indicate (n = 410) that a standard deviation of intervention‐produced change at age 4 is associated with a 0.24‐SD gain in achievement in late elementary school. This impact is approximately half the size of the association produced by correlational models relating later achievement to preschool math change, and is approximately 35% smaller than the effect reported by highly controlled ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models (Claessens et al., 2009; Watts et al., 2014) using national data sets. Implications for developmental theory and practice are discussed.

Publication Statement

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