In this paper it is investigated if the mental computation strategies in the research literature are enough to satisfactorily categorize the mental computation strategy use by preservice elementary teachers (PETs) in subtraction on two-digit natural numbers. The PETs' use of mental computation strategies is measured operationally with a written…

This research aimed to examine whether the activities related to mental computation strategies had any effect on the development of the second-grade elementary school students' problem-solving (PS) skills. Participants of the study are comprised of 14 children aged 7-8 years and enrolled in the second grade of the elementary school of a village.…

This study aims to investigate the effect of history-of-mathematics activities on the development of mental computation of middle-grade students and to determine the students' views on the history of mathematics. This study was carried out as an action research project. The participants of the study consisted of 19 seventh-grade students studying…

The current study examines the mental computation performance owned by students at fifth grade. This study was carried out with 118 fifth graders (11-12-year-olds) studying at 3 randomly selected primary schools that served low and middle socio-economic areas in a city of Turkey. "Mental Computation Test (MCT)" has been used to reach how…

This study analyzed children's use of mental computation strategies and the standard algorithm on multi-digit subtractions. Fifty-eight Flemish 4th graders of varying mathematical achievement level were individually offered subtractions that either stimulated the use of mental computation strategies or the standard algorithm in one choice and two…

This study investigated the sets of mental computation strategies used by prospective elementary teachers to compute sums and differences of whole numbers. In the context of an intervention designed to improve the number sense of prospective elementary teachers, participants were interviewed pre/post, and their mental computation strategies were…

The authors compared the mental computation performance and mental strategies used by an experimental Grade 2 class and a control Grade 2 class before and after instructional intervention. Results indicate that students in the experimental group had better performance on mental computation. The use of mental strategies (counting, separation,…

This paper reports on a study to examine mental computation strategies used by Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 students to solve addition and subtraction problems. The participants in this study were twenty five 7 to 9 year-old students identified as excellent, good and satisfactory in their mathematics performance from a school in Penang, Malaysia.…

Literature at national and international levels argues the importance of including mental computation in a mathematics curriculum that promotes number sense. However, mental computation does not feature in importance in the current Queensland mathematics syllabus documents. Hopefully, with the writing of a new mathematics syllabus, mental…

Research has established that children's development of addition and subtraction skills progresses through a hierarchy of strategies that begin with counting-by-one methods through to flexible mental strategies using a combination of knowledge of basic facts and understanding of place value. An important transition point is the shift from the…

Students who can compute mathematical problems in their heads have learned a skill that is important for estimating and for understanding the number system. Practice activities that can help students master mental computation skills are described. (PP)

Presents five activities focusing on mental computation and estimation for the K-3, 3-5, 4-6, and 6-8 grade levels that require the student, acting as a judge, to review solutions to problems and to pronounce and justify a verdict. Provides suggested materials, questions, possible extensions, answers, and worksheets for each activity. (MDH)

This article contributes to the research literature concerning prospective elementary teachers' mathematical thinking and learning with a focus on flexibility. We present a case study of a prospective elementary teachers' development of flexibility in mental addition and subtraction during a Number and Operations course. Building upon the…

This study examined adults' frequent, efficient and adaptive use of direct subtraction (DS) and subtraction by addition (SBA) in mental multi-digit subtraction with the choice/no-choice method. Participants were offered subtractions in one choice condition (choice between DS and SBA) and two no-choice conditions (mandatory use of either DS or…

A converging body of evidence from neuroimaging, behavioral, and neuropsychology studies suggests that different arithmetic operations rely on distinct neuro-cognitive processes: while addition and subtraction may rely more on visuospatial reasoning, multiplication would depend more on verbal abilities. In this paper, we tested this hypothesis in…