Developing representations of quantity

Two studies were conducted to investigate how children use written notations to represent information about quantity. Children from 3 to 5 years of age who could count and recognize numerals were asked to produce or select a written notation to represent a specified quantity and to then interpret this representation later. Their productions or selections were classified as being numeral, analogue or global representations. The results showed that there was a developmental increase in the use of numerals accompanied by a systematic decline in the use of the alternatives. Furthermore, only the numerals could be reliably interpreted later for quantity. The results point to weaknesses in children's understanding of number concepts in terms of how these relate to counting procedures and written notations.