Training children to explicitly use finger strategies improves calculation performance in most studies, though results are not uniform¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · review r3 · q2–q3
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In four non-randomized controlled trials, training TD children to explicitly use finger strategies for addition and subtraction was consistently followed by significant improvement in calculation performance. → Maëlle Neveu 2023 q2 i? Among finger-users in a cluster-randomized trial, training with concrete manipulatives increased calculation performance more than abstract manipulatives. → Maëlle Neveu 2023 (2) q2 i? Chisanbop finger counting training yielded inconclusive results: second-graders did not improve significantly, while control fifth-graders improved but the training group did not. → Maëlle Neveu 2023 (3)

Evidence¶

Maëlle Neveu 2023¶

Maëlle Neveu, Marie Geurten, Nancy Durieux, Laurence Rousselle. (2023). Finger Use and Arithmetic Skills in Children and Adolescents: a Scoping Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09722-8

q3 · i? · review · r3

The review reports five non-randomized controlled trials in TD primary school children; in four, explicit finger-strategy training for addition and subtraction was followed by improvement, as "A significant improvement in calculation performance was consistently observed after training." No effect size printed.

"In four of them, participants were trained to explicitly use finger strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems (Fuson, 1986; Fuson & Secada, 1986; Fuson & Willis, 1988; Ollivier et al., 2020). A significant improvement in calculation performance was consistently observed after training."

Maëlle Neveu 2023 (2)¶

Maëlle Neveu, Marie Geurten, Nancy Durieux, Laurence Rousselle. (2023). Finger Use and Arithmetic Skills in Children and Adolescents: a Scoping Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09722-8

q2 · i? · review · r3

Cluster-randomized controlled trial (Chao et al., 2000) in TD kindergartners contrasting finger-users and non-finger-users trained with abstract versus concrete manipulatives; among finger-users, "training with concrete manipulatives was more effective." No effect size printed.

"The results showed that, among finger-users, training with concrete manipulatives was more effective in increasing their calculation performance than the use of abstract manipulatives."

Maëlle Neveu 2023 (3)¶

Maëlle Neveu, Marie Geurten, Nancy Durieux, Laurence Rousselle. (2023). Finger Use and Arithmetic Skills in Children and Adolescents: a Scoping Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09722-8

q2 · i? · review · r3

Non-randomized trial of the Chisanbop finger counting method (Stegemann, 2014); the review reports inconclusive results, with no significant improvement for trained second-graders and control fifth-graders outperforming the training group.

"This training yielded inconclusive results as second-graders did not show a significant improvement in their calculation performance, whereas fifth-graders in the control group improved their performance but not those in the training group."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Operations and Place Value — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Fine motor skills training improves children's arithmetic skills in some trials but not others — related
• Finger gnosia is associated with arithmetic skills in some studies but not others, with age and cognitive profile moderating the relation — related
• Suppressing or restricting hand movements disrupts children's arithmetic performance, suggesting gestures play a functional role in calculation — related
• Finger use is related to arithmetic performance in children, but the strength of this relation decreases significantly over development — related