UNIQUE CONTRIBUTIONS OF SUBITIZING AND SEQUENTIAL COUNTING TO ARITHMETIC COMPETENCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

Early numerical skills are considered critical foundations for the development of later mathematical competence. However, relatively few studies have examined the unique contributions of different foundational numerical processes within the same analytical framework. The present study investigated the relative roles of subitizing and sequential counting in explaining variability in early arithmetic competence among primary school children. A sample of 133 first-grade students completed computerized tasks assessing subitizing accuracy, forward counting, backward counting, and arithmetic competence. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among these variables. Results indicated that both subitizing and sequential counting were significantly associated with arithmetic competence. However, when the shared variance among numerical skills was considered, backward counting emerged as the strongest independent predictor of arithmetic competence, accounting for the largest proportion of unique variance. Additional analyses examining reaction time and inverse efficiency scores further revealed that greater efficiency in numerical processing, particularly in backward counting, was associated with higher arithmetic performance. These findings suggest that early arithmetic competence may depend less on the recognition of small quantities and more on the ability to flexibly manipulate symbolic number sequences. From both developmental and educational perspectives, the results highlight the importance of symbolic sequence manipulation as a key mechanism linking early numerical representations to emerging arithmetic skills.

Keywords: subitizing, sequential counting, backward counting, arithmetic competence, numerical cognition

Ethics and Conflict of Interest

This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of ethical research involving human participants. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ankara University Ethics Committee (Approval Date: July 17, 2023; Meeting No. 16; Decision No. 159). In addition, the necessary official permissions to conduct the study in schools were obtained from the relevant authorities affiliated with the Turkish Ministry of National Education. Written informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all participating children, and participation was voluntary. Participants were informed about the study procedures and their right to withdraw from the study at any time. All data were treated confidentially and used solely for scientific research purposes. We have no conflict of interest to disclose. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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