Teacher support for children's base-10 understanding in Japanese kindergartens

Abstract

Early understanding of base-10 concept has been shown to be associated with superior mathematical achievement among East Asian children. In addition to their base-10 structured number system, teacher support in kindergarten is also crucial to children's development of this complex mathematical concept. Therefore, this study examined how Japanese kindergarten teachers support children's base-10 understanding through informal learning activities. One class of 35 4-year-old children in a private Japanese kindergarten was observed. Our findings reveal that teacher support in their informal learning activities shared two common aspects, namely, ‘children as the manipulatives’ and ‘every child’s contribution is essential’. The former aspect suggests that using children as the manipulatives can also be effective in promoting children’s base-10 understanding. Interestingly, the latter reflects that Japanese kindergarten teachers place great emphasis in nurturing children’s social skills while supporting children in learning base-10 concept unconsciously. This study also provides new directions for future research on how free-choice/child-led play and activities, as well as music and body movement related activities can promote children’s mathematical knowledge.