@article{marcruz_understanding_2022, title = {Understanding of base-10 concept and its application: a cross-cultural comparison between {Japan} and {Singapore}}, volume = {30}, issn = {0966-9760}, shorttitle = {Understanding of base-10 concept and its application}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2020.1848525}, doi = {10.1080/09669760.2020.1848525}, abstract = {It has become increasingly clear that the early use of decomposition for addition is associated with later mathematical achievement. This study examined how younger children execute a base-10 decomposition strategy to solve complex arithmetic (e.g. two-digit addition). 24 addition problems in two modalities (WA: Written Arithmetic; OA: Oral Arithmetic) with sums less than 100 were administered to 22 Japanese and 22 Singaporean 6-year-old kindergarteners. Our findings reveal that they were able to solve complex addition. For instance, Japanese kindergarteners tended to solve complex arithmetic using base-10 decomposition across the modality, whereas Singaporean kindergarteners used standard algorithms and basic counting to solve complex WA and OA problems, respectively. We speculate that Japanese kindergarteners might have a clearer understanding of the base-10 concept and were able to use this knowledge more readily than Singaporean kindergarteners. Mathematical experiences in kindergarten and number-naming systems have been put forward as two of the crucial contributors for such cross-cultural differences. This study also provides new directions for future research on the understanding of the base-10 concept and its application among young children.}, number = {4}, urldate = {2023-04-11}, journal = {International Journal of Early Years Education}, author = {Marcruz, Ong Yew Lee and Carrie, Ho Ka Lee and Manabu, Kawata and Mayumi, Takahashi and Kumpei, Mizuno}, month = oct, year = {2022}, note = {Publisher: Routledge \_eprint: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2020.1848525}, keywords = {Base-10 concept, decomposition strategy, kindergarten, mathematical experiences, number-naming system}, pages = {766--780}, }