Fractions are the key to math success, new study shows
June 18, 2012
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—What part of math success comes from knowing fractions? More than you might think, according to a new study that analyzed long-term data on more than 4,000 children from both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Science, the study found that understanding fractions and division at age 10 predicted algebra and overall math achievement in high school, even after statistically controlling for a wide range of factors including parents’ education and income, and children’s age, gender, I.Q., reading comprehension, working memory, and knowledge of whole number addition, subtraction and multiplication. (more…)