The Role of the Narrative Context in Mathematics Learning from Picture Books

Abstract

Mathematical proficiency is essential for a variety of careers, and therefore it is important for children to have the opportunity to successfully acquire basic mathematics skills. Many students are underperforming in mathematics, however, thus creating a need for research that identifies effective interventions for improving learning outcomes. Across a number of studies, the ability to measure length seems to be an area of particular difficulty for young children. This study explored the question of whether picture books with a narrative structure were more effective than expository picture books for teaching children about the measurement of length. Forty-five preschool- and kindergarten-aged children (4-5 years old) listened to an experimenter read a book with or without a narrative context, and measurement ability was assessed before and after the reading session with tasks of varying difficulty. Results showed that children reading a book with narrative context demonstrated significant improvement on easy measurement questions. Children reading a book without narrative context, on the other hand, demonstrated significant improvement on questions of medium difficulty. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.