Centre for Early Mathematics Learning
Lead Research Organisation:
Loughborough University
Department Name: Mathematics Education Centre
Abstract
The Centre for Early Mathematics Learning (CEML) will transform our understanding of children's mathematics learning during the early years, and equip educators with the knowledge, tools and confidence to help children succeed.
Success with mathematics is important for individuals and the wider economy. Higher levels of numeracy are associated with enhanced employment prospects and improved quality of life. However, many people struggle to develop the mathematics skills that they need to succeed, and this impacts economic productivity around the world. For example, the annual cost to the UK economy of poor mathematical skills is estimated to be up to £33bn (Smith, 2017). Difficulties with mathematics emerge from the start of school and once children have fallen behind their peers many struggle to catch-up. Disadvantage gaps have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing demand for effective interventions to support young children from all backgrounds. Consequently, improving the quality of early mathematics education has been recognised as a priority in the UK, and around the world.
To ensure current and future generations of children develop the mathematics skills they need, we must understand the complex personal and environmental factors that influence mathematics learning and use this to design effective educational activities. In recent decades, advances have been made in identifying basic skills that predict success in mathematics learning, and yet these advances have not had positive impact on how we support children's early mathematics learning. This is a costly and missed opportunity, with far-reaching implications for individuals and wider society.
CEML will take an interdisciplinary approach and learn from best practices internationally to address five challenges that currently prevent us from providing children from all backgrounds with the support they need:
1. How do the foundations of mathematics learning emerge in the preschool years?
2. What are the causal mechanisms that drive mathematics learning during primary school?
3. How do children's experiences in early educational settings and at home influence their mathematical development?
4. How do we design effective educational resources based on an understanding of mathematical learning processes?
5. What are the most effective ways to impact educational practice?
CEML will bring together 21 interdisciplinary experts from seven institutions incorporating insights and approaches from psychology, education, social policy, learning sciences and economics. We will employ a range of rigorous methodological approaches, including large-scale longitudinal and intervention studies as well as qualitative and mixed methods research, to provide multiple perspectives on understanding children's mathematics learning. We will attend closely to principles of equality, diversity and inclusion as they apply to families, teachers and schools, and consider the impact of socioeconomic background on children's learning. Our research will follow the highest standards of ethical approval and safeguarding.
We will engage with end-users in all our research, working alongside teachers and early years practitioners to ensure that our work is informed by the needs and challenges of practice. We will co-produce effective resources to improve children's mathematics learning at home, in preschool and at school and develop high quality professional development to support parents, teachers and practitioners in using these resources. An Impact Panel of key stakeholders in early years education, including families and children, will steer our activities to ensure our work meets the needs of the early years community and drives future mathematics education policy in the UK and internationally. Career development and capacity building activities will deliver a cohort of highly trained ECRs and improve teachers' research literacy.
Success with mathematics is important for individuals and the wider economy. Higher levels of numeracy are associated with enhanced employment prospects and improved quality of life. However, many people struggle to develop the mathematics skills that they need to succeed, and this impacts economic productivity around the world. For example, the annual cost to the UK economy of poor mathematical skills is estimated to be up to £33bn (Smith, 2017). Difficulties with mathematics emerge from the start of school and once children have fallen behind their peers many struggle to catch-up. Disadvantage gaps have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing demand for effective interventions to support young children from all backgrounds. Consequently, improving the quality of early mathematics education has been recognised as a priority in the UK, and around the world.
To ensure current and future generations of children develop the mathematics skills they need, we must understand the complex personal and environmental factors that influence mathematics learning and use this to design effective educational activities. In recent decades, advances have been made in identifying basic skills that predict success in mathematics learning, and yet these advances have not had positive impact on how we support children's early mathematics learning. This is a costly and missed opportunity, with far-reaching implications for individuals and wider society.
CEML will take an interdisciplinary approach and learn from best practices internationally to address five challenges that currently prevent us from providing children from all backgrounds with the support they need:
1. How do the foundations of mathematics learning emerge in the preschool years?
2. What are the causal mechanisms that drive mathematics learning during primary school?
3. How do children's experiences in early educational settings and at home influence their mathematical development?
4. How do we design effective educational resources based on an understanding of mathematical learning processes?
5. What are the most effective ways to impact educational practice?
CEML will bring together 21 interdisciplinary experts from seven institutions incorporating insights and approaches from psychology, education, social policy, learning sciences and economics. We will employ a range of rigorous methodological approaches, including large-scale longitudinal and intervention studies as well as qualitative and mixed methods research, to provide multiple perspectives on understanding children's mathematics learning. We will attend closely to principles of equality, diversity and inclusion as they apply to families, teachers and schools, and consider the impact of socioeconomic background on children's learning. Our research will follow the highest standards of ethical approval and safeguarding.
We will engage with end-users in all our research, working alongside teachers and early years practitioners to ensure that our work is informed by the needs and challenges of practice. We will co-produce effective resources to improve children's mathematics learning at home, in preschool and at school and develop high quality professional development to support parents, teachers and practitioners in using these resources. An Impact Panel of key stakeholders in early years education, including families and children, will steer our activities to ensure our work meets the needs of the early years community and drives future mathematics education policy in the UK and internationally. Career development and capacity building activities will deliver a cohort of highly trained ECRs and improve teachers' research literacy.
Publications
Dowker A
(2023)
The componential nature of arithmetical cognition: some important questions.
in Frontiers in psychology
Foster C
(2023)
A quotient effect size for educational interventions
in International Journal of Research & Method in Education
Foster C
(2024)
Challenges in applying principles from cognitive science to the design of a school mathematics curriculum
in The Curriculum Journal
Gashaj V
(2023)
Foundations for future math achievement: Early numeracy, home learning environment, and the absence of math anxiety
in Trends in Neuroscience and Education
Gashaj V
(2023)
Adding up fine motor skills: Developmental relations between manual dexterity and numerical abilities.
in Acta psychologica
Hendry A
(2023)
Moulding environmental contexts to optimise neurodiverse executive function performance and development: A goodness-of-fit account
in Infant and Child Development
Inglis M
(2024)
What is a high-quality research environment? Evidence from the UK's research excellence framework
in Research Evaluation
Morsanyi K
(2023)
The Development of Intuitive and Analytic Thinking in Autism: The Case of Cognitive Reflection.
in Journal of Intelligence
Morsanyi K
(2024)
The causal role of numerical and non-numerical order processing abilities in the early development of mathematics skills: Evidence from an intervention study
in Current Research in Behavioral Sciences
Description | Boundary conditions of conceptual spaces |
Amount | £353,041 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ES/X00824X/1 |
Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2023 |
End | 10/2026 |
Description | Designing worked examples for learning fractions in Year 5 |
Amount | £43,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Education Endowment Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2023 |
End | 06/2024 |
Description | Development and standardization of a dyscalculia screening tool for secondary school students |
Amount | £70,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2023 |
End | 09/2029 |
Description | Diagnosing and supporting learners with mathematics learning difficulties: A cross-cultural study |
Amount | £12,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | IES\R1\221220 |
Organisation | The Royal Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2022 |
End | 08/2024 |
Description | Embedding Executive Challenge into Early Maths - The ONE Programme |
Amount | £995,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Education Endowment Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2023 |
End | 06/2025 |
Description | Improving Early Mathematical Skills by Supporting the Home Learning Environment |
Amount | £230,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Nuffield Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2023 |
End | 06/2025 |
Description | Mathematics at our fingertips |
Amount | £22,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Education Endowment Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2023 |
End | 03/2024 |
Description | SPAtial Cognition to Enhance mathematical learning (SPACE) |
Amount | £249,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Education Endowment Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2023 |
End | 01/2024 |
Description | The foundations of understanding fractions and decimal numbers |
Amount | £461,717 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ES/W005654/1 |
Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2022 |
End | 10/2025 |
Description | British Dyslexia Association Dyscalculia Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Keynote presenter; K.M. has developed links with the BDA Dyscalculia committee and SASC (who are responsible for setting standards for dyscalculia assessment in England). There is currently an update of guidance regarding dyscalculia diagnosis, and K.M. is contributing to process as a research expert. K. M. has also received further invitations after this event to present to teachers and educational practitioners (for example, at World Dyscalculia Day - which was held on the 3rd March, and Edge Hill University's Dyscalculia conference, which will be held on the 29th June). These events reach hundreds of teachers and educational practitioners. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Executive Function and mathematics CPD |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Developed CPD activities which was delivered to a joint workshop of the National Association of Mathematics Advisers and the Association of Mathematics Education Teachers. Following requests from participants an associated video was later released via the Loughborough University Mathematics Education Network online CPD webpages. These activities led to reported changes in understanding of the role of executive functions in mathematics learning. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/lumen/professional-development/executive-function-part-1/ |
Description | Fostering Open Research Practices: data management |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was a blog post based on CEML work on data management policies: shows processes we developed to organise data management across the entire Research Centre, and suggests how it can be useful for other researchers. The blog post reached considerable attention on social media, and was praised by other researchers, who found it useful. It has also been shared with researchers from Ghent (Belgium) and Luxemburg University with whom, I am collaborating on another project and it served as a template to prepare a similar data management plan for this project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://blog.lboro.ac.uk/rdm/2023/01/data-management-from-a-section-in-the-grant-proposal-to-a-day-t... |
Description | LLME meeting North Midlands Maths Hub |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Gave presentation on dyscalculia at a LLME meeting of the North Midlands Maths Hub (J.B.) Presentation on maths anxiety (K.M.). A further request to present on these topics have been received from a Nottingham-based Maths Hub). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Mathematics Association / Association of Teachers of Mathematics Primary Mathematicss Group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Presentation to introduce the Centre to a meeting of the joint Mathematics Association / Association of Teachers of Mathematics Primary Mathematics Group. This led to follow-up requests for collaboration and input to ongoing activities of the group. Several members indicated interest in helping our research to reach practitioners. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.m-a.org.uk/primary-subcommittee |
Description | Maths is More working group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | CEML academics (Ann Dowker and Camilla Gilmore) were involved in organising and presenting at a series of three online webinars titled "Maths is More". The series, and accompanying article, was supported by key organisations involved in mathematics education in the UK (including the Association of Teachers of Mathematics, the Mathematics Association, Cambridge Mathematics and White Rose Maths) and drew an audience of several thousand teachers. The events prompted ongoing discussion about the nature of mathematics and a creative and playful subject and provided signposting to resources to support teachers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.atm.org.uk/News/maths-is-more-by-a-working-group-of-maths-is-more |
Description | Southwest PD Providers' Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | "Gave an invited keynote talk at the Southwest PD Providers' Conference - ""What's research got to do with it?"". My talk was titled ""What does it mean to be research or evidence-informed?"". The audience was primarily comprised of PD providers from the SW of the country, as well as people from the NCETM. The talk sparked questions and discussion afterwards and I received a lot of positive feedback from both the participants and the organisers. In a post-conference feedback survey, participants reported several points from my presentation which provoked their thinking and they are considering how it might influence them in their role leading mathematics professional development. One participant later applied for an ESRC-DTP funded PhD which we were advertising at the time. During the interview, the applicant mentioned that she applied because she was inspired by this talk at the SW PD Providers' Conference." |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Specific Learning Difficulties Network (SPLD Network) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | K.M. gave a talk at the SPLD Network's launch event (2022) and she is leading a working group related to definitions for specific learning difficulties. The network involves researchers, charities and policy makers, and there is a special focus on impact activities (in particular, on sharing up-to-date research findings with SLDN-focussed organizations and policy-makers). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
URL | https://medicine.st-andrews.ac.uk/learning-difficulties/ |
Description | Termly Newsletter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | CEML's termly newsletter distributes information from the Centre's research activities to range of practitioners, policy makers, professional bodies and study participants. It gives updates from researchers with study progress, provides opportunities for professional collaboration and has resulted in requests for involvement with the Centre. Links to free CPD within the newsletter encourage discussion around early maths. Analysis of the newsletter distribution data allows the Centre to continually monitor and adapt its reach and assures distribution to a wide audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |