SI-Stimulating Ecuadorian preschoolers’ and kindergartners’ mathematical development: learning-supportive interactions using picture books

EC2023SIN378A101 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2025 Young children’s early math competencies are pivotal for their math performances in elementary and secondary education, their further academic and professional career, and their well-being, health and professional status at adult age. To effectively stimulate the development of these core competencies, high-quality instructional materials are needed. National and international comparative studies point to Ecuadorian children’s weak performances on academic achievement tests, also in the domain of STEM. These weak performances can be explained by the absence of high-quality instructional materials in the domain of early math. The present project aims to directly improve early math instructional quality and thus Ecuadorian children’s early math and later life development by designing, implementing and evaluating research-based instructional materials (i.e., picture books) for early math education following design-based research (DBR) principles and in close collaboration with key stakeholders in the domain (MINEDUC, HEIs, teachers, parents). Engaging all stakeholders as researchers in the design, implementation and evaluation of the materials significantly increases current research and educational capacity. Moreover, it will add to the ownership of research-based, high-quality instructional materials fitted to the Ecuadorian context. In the first project year, three picture books and dialogic reading activities will be designed, implemented and evaluated in the domain of number. The second project year focuses on the design, implementation and evaluation of three picture books and related dialogic reading activities in the domain of geometry. At the end of the project, six high-quality picture books and dialogic reading activities as well as related ECE teacher training materials will be available and disseminated to the scientific and educational audience via manuscripts, conference contributions, workshops for teachers and parents and the MINEDUC website.