An Attempt to Determine a Hierarchy in the Acquisition of Elementary Mathematics Concepts

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to attempt to discover a workable hierarchy in the acquisition of basic mathematics concepts. Research indicated that, to date, no definite hierarchy had been established. Ninety-nine subjects, ranging in age from three years to nine years and eleven months, were asked to perform fourteen tasks. These tasks represented seven mathematics concepts: cardination-counting, discrimination, one-to-one correspondence, ordination, seriation, classification, and conservation. Responses to the items were recorded by the examiner as either correct or incorrect. Green's (1956) Scalogram Analysis was used with the data to determine whether or not a hierarchy did exist in the represented mathematics concepts. Findings indicated that although the items were independent of one another, a definite hierarchy did exist. This hierarchy was maintained in each of two subgroups, one consisting of easier items and the other of more difficult items.