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Determinants of Math Performance for At-Risk Students
During a Department colloquium on November 5, Assistant Professor Paul Morgan (Department of Educational Psychology, Penn State University) discussed his research analyzing risk factors of children's initial mathematics knowledge and skills growth over time. He commented on the impact of poor mathematics skills on future employment and wages, where poor mathemathics skills even impact those adults with adequate reading abilities.
In introducing his research, Dr. Morgan presented contrasting theoretical accounts of the growth trajectories of children at risk for learning difficulties in mathematics - the lag model and the cumulative model. Lag model research indicates that children entering kindergarten already displaying learning difficulties in mathematics are very unlikely to “catch up” with their more skilled peers over the course of elementary school. Cumulative model research indicates that certain types of instructional practices, delivered at particular points in children’s school careers, may positively impact their mathematics proficiency, although the magnitude of the effects may also be modest.
In discussing the cumulative model, Dr. Morgan emphasized the need to systematically monitor Kindergarden children's math knowledge. Socio-demographic and educationally relevant factors also need to be considered since children enter Kindergarten with different experiential and instructional advantages and disadvantages.
Dr. Morgan addressed the implications of his research and how his findings may contribute to revised theoretical explanations of the incidence and remediation of mathematics difficulties. He identified three types of instructional approaches he is studying to inform what types of instruction, delivered at what particular time periods, teachers should provide to children with mathematics difficulties: prescriptive/procedural, reform, or continuum. He closed his presentation with a caution that a "wait and see" attitude toward Kindergarten children with mathematics difficulties equals "wait and fail."
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