Young children's counting strategies: An observational study

Research has shown that most arithmetic difficulties have their origin at the stage in which basic arithmetic skills develop and automatize: i.e. at the age of 5-7 years. A remedial arithmetic programme has therefore been developed for normal children in this age group. The purpose of our paper is to present the results of an observational study of the counting strategies used among young, developmentally retarded children while participating in the remedial programme. The development of the observational instrument was based on video tapes of three young children attending a primary school. Observations showed that the children differed in their use of handy strategies at the end of the programme. In a second study four children with a developmental lag have been observed on their strategy-use. The children did not develop more advanced counting strategies over and above the basic counting strategies. The results therefore demonstrated no qualitative improvement.