Children’s confidence on mathematical equivalence and fraction problems

• Published in: Journal of experimental child psychology 2024-10, Vol.246, p.106003, Article 106003
• Main Authors: Grenell, Amanda, Butts, Jacob R., Levine, Susan C., Fyfe, Emily R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child; Executive function; Executive Function - physiology; Female; Fractions; Humans; Judgment; Male; Mathematical Concepts; Mathematical equivalence; Mathematics; Memory, Short-Term; Metacognition; Metacognition - physiology; Problem Solving
• ISSN: 0022-0965; 1096-0457; 1096-0457
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106003

•Children who used misconception-based strategies had high certainty on math tasks.•Metacognitive skills were impaired when using misconception-based strategies.•Children’s metacognitive skills were topic specific within the domain of math.•Working memory and inhibitory control were modestly associated with monitoring.•Results highlight the specificity of monitoring and persistent errors in math. Metacognition is how people think about their own thinking, and it includes children’s confidence in their problem-solving solutions. We assessed children’s metacognition in two areas of mathematics that are often plagued by misconceptions and often studied separately—mathematical equivalence (e.g., 3 + 4 = 5 +__) and fraction magnitude (e.g., 1/3 = 2/__). Specifically, we quantified children’s metacognitive skills across these topics, examined whether these skills are topic-specific, and determined how these skills covary with domain-general executive functioning. A total of 80 elementary school children (Mage = 7.70 years, SD = 0.69) provided trial-by-trial performance data and confidence judgments on equivalence and fraction problems as well as assessments of executive function. Children’s metacognitive skills were especially impaired when using incorrect strategies based on misconceptions, and we did not find robust evidence for cross-topic associations. We found modest associations between children’s metacognitive skills and their working memory and inhibitory control. Findings have theoretical and practical implications for understanding which children struggle with these important mathematics concepts and why.