The ability to read numbers: A universal measure?

This study tests the hypothesis that there is a single pathway for the order in which children learn to identify numbers. Although a prime facie case can be made, systematic variation might be expected because of teaching, or language of instruction, or country of origin. This study concludes that such variations are minor and that the pathway that children follow when learning to identify numbers follows the same pattern across different groups. This finding is significant in furthering our knowledge of children’s early mathematics development; it suggests that there is a universal developmental scale from which the diverse aspects of mathematical development can be viewed. This lays the foundation for international comparisons of the mathematical development of young children.