Place-value computation in children with mathematics difficulties.

ABSTRACT

Recent research has provided initial evidence that children with math difficulties (MD) experience problems in processing place-value information in basic numerical tasks. However, it remains unclear whether these problems generalize to basic arithmetic operations. For instance, multi-digit addition problems with carryover specifically require the computation of place-value information. Yet little is known about the carry effect in children with MD. Therefore, the current study investigated whether problems in processing place-value information among third-grade children with MD (n = 29 9-year-olds) compared with an age-matched control group (n = 50) generalize to two-digit addition. The results indicate an increased carry effect for response latencies and error rates in children with MD. These findings suggest that deficits in processing place-value information among children with MD generalize to place-value computations in multi-digit arithmetic. Potential contributions of strategy use and working memory for difficulties in processing place-value information are discussed.