Miriam Lüken

Repeating Pattern Competencies in Three- to Five-Year Old Kindergartners: A Closer Look at Strategies

Activities with repeating patterns are common and important in early childhood education. Recent studies even show a (positive) relationship between early patterning competencies and arithmetical achievement at school. Nevertheless, there is insufficient research about the strategies children employ when completing patterning activities and about the development of these competencies in young children. This paper reports data from an explorative study that tracks six children’s patterning development from their first to third year of German kindergarten. Three task- and material-based interviews are conducted over the course of two years. Results suggest that significant development takes place in children’s repeating pattern competencies between the age of three and four years. Furthermore, strategy categories for describing children’s construction of repeating patterns are developed.

The Influence of Fostering Children's Patterning Abilities on Their Arithmetic Skills in Grade 1

Recognizing and using patterns and structures play a pivotal role in learning mathematics. Recent research shows that children’s pattern and structure competencies are strongly linked to their general mathematical development. Furthermore, it is possible to foster pattern and structure competencies in young children. The study presented in this paper ties together these two main findings and asks if fostering pattern and structure competencies may even lead to advanced arithmetic achievement. Preliminary findings from an intervention study with 51 first grade students show an increase in the children’s arithmetic skills after five months of explicitly teaching pattern and structure during regular mathematics lessons.