Kindergarteners’ engagement in mathematical thinking via the interactive reading of mathematical stories

The development of mathematical thinking is fundamental to the study of mathematics and should be the primary focus of mathematics education throughout all stages of education. As most kindergartens incorporate daily storytelling sessions, exploiting mathematical stories may be one strategy to encourage kindergarteners’ engagement in mathematical thinking. This small-scale teaching experiment was conceived within a constructivist paradigm and guided by Burton’s (1984) theoretical framework for mathematical thinking processes. It focuses on the expressed mathematical thinking processes that were evoked in pupils aged 5–7 through the interactive reading of a mathematics-focused story. We used a mathematical story designed around examples of the commutative property of addition and read interactively in a class of twenty-three pupils. A qualitative analysis of the video recording of the reading session showed that the kindergarteners engaged in mathematical thinking processes throughout the storytelling - although they encountered difficulties. This indicates that using carefully designed, illustrated stories with age-appropriate mathematical concepts facilitates young pupils’ engagement in mathematical thinking. The results also highlight the crucial role of specialization in assisting pupils’ progression to more advanced mathematical thinking processes, and the significance of maintaining a questioning atmosphere that leads pupils to engage in mathematical thinking. The teacher, the story, and the interactions it afforded among the teacher and pupils, were all crucial in guiding the pupils towards a mathematical way of thinking.