Framework for analysing children’s ways of experiencing numbers

This study contributes to the field of arithmetic learning a framework based on a conjecture that learning is a change in ways of experiencing numbers – decisive for what is possible to do with numbers in arithmetic tasks. 309 task-based interviews with 5-6-year-old children were used to develop the framework. To validate its use for studies on arithmetic skills development we selected 7 children who between two interview occasions developed from scoring 0 in the first interview to >75% correct answers in the second interview. Based on the results of these children’s changing ways of experiencing numbers, we conclude that arithmetic skills development can be found empirically related to changes in the children’s ways of experiencing numbers, which validates the framework as being a useful tool to follow and describe children’s arithmetic skills over time.