Does ‘The Number Race’, a computer based numeracy intervention, enhance young children’s early numeracy skills?

Numeracy skills are important for daily life, academic success and future employment.

School-entry numeracy skills are the strongest predictor of later reading and mathematical achievement.

In today's digital society, numeracy skills are increasingly necessary for workplace success.

Weaker numeracy skills have been associated with a range of negative outcomes, including poor physical and mental health, school exclusions, truancy and incarceration.

This thesis evaluates the impact of a computer-based numeracy intervention on early numeracy skills and investigates its potential as a preventative approach for children with numeracy difficulties.

The systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of computer-based numeracy interventions for primary aged children, 5 – 11 years, with dyscalculia.

10 studies from 4 databases met the inclusion criteria.

Results suggest promising effects of interventions that remediate the difficulties encountered by children with mathematical difficulties.

However, methodological flaws in the studies limit generalisability and conclusions for children with dyscalculia.

The empirical study investigated the impact of a computer-based numeracy intervention, 'The Number Race', on the early numeracy skills of children aged 4 – 6 years.

54 children from one kindergarten in Singapore were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups.

The training duration was 20 min per session, three times a week, over three weeks.

Results indicated that the intervention group did not make significant improvements in their early numeracy skills compared to the control group, as assessed by the Sandwell Early Numeracy Test – Revised.

Children 'at risk' of low numeracy skills, defined as scoring at or below the 25th percentile also did not 'catch up' in their numeracy skills.

Suggestions for the lack of significant findings and implications for further research are discussed.