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Task beliefs and the voluntary use of the empty number line in third-grade subtraction and addition

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Abstract

This study explored the relationships between task beliefs about the empty number line (ENL), mathematical ability, gender, and voluntary ENL use in multi-digit subtraction and addition. One hundred twenty-three Dutch third-grade students and nine teachers from six schools participated in this study. The multilevel path analysis showed that task beliefs about the ENL mediated the relationship between students’ mathematical ability and their voluntary ENL use. No gender differences were found in the multilevel path analysis. Finally, the results show that task beliefs about the ENL and voluntary ENL use differed across classrooms. The discussion focuses on the implications of the results for using the ENL in diagnostic assessment.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful for the feedback that was given by Herbert Hoijtink on earlier drafts and the analyses of this paper.

Funding

This work was supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) under Grant MaGW/PROO: Project 411–10-750.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Innovation, University College Inholland, P.O. Box 23145, 3001, KC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Jorine A. Vermeulen

  2. Cito Institute for Educational Measurement, Psychometric Research Centre, Arnhem, Netherlands

    Anton Béguin & Theo J. H. M. Eggen

  3. Faculty of Behavioural Science, Department of Research Methodology, Measurement, and Data-Analysis, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands

    Theo J. H. M. Eggen

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  1. Jorine A. Vermeulen
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Table 6 Characteristics of the addition and subtraction items in the two versions of the diagnostic ENL assessment task
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Vermeulen, J.A., Béguin, A. & Eggen, T.J.H.M. Task beliefs and the voluntary use of the empty number line in third-grade subtraction and addition. Educ Stud Math 106, 231–249 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-020-10016-x

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