Educator's attitudes about mathematics and pre-mathematical skills of early and preschool children

Matematička kompetencija jedna je od osam ključnih kompetencija za cjeloživotno obrazovanje prema Nacionalnom kurikulumu za rani i predškolski odgoj i obrazovanje (2014). Navedena kompetencija usko je povezana s osnovnim kompetencijama u prirodoslovlju, a razvija se u svakodnevnim situacijama poticanjem djeteta na razvoj i primjenu matematičkog mišljenja u rješavanju problema u raznovrsnim aktivnostima. Za razvoj tih kompetencija značajna su saznanja poznatih psihologa (Lav Vigotski, Jean Piaget i Jerome Bruner) koji su u svojim istraživanjima poseban naglasak stavili na spoznajni aspekt djetetova razvoja, a upravo na tim saznanjima je osmišljen osnovni metodički put razvoja matematičkih pojmova. Kako bi dijete razvilo navedene kompetencije, nužno je poticati stjecanje predmatematičkih vještina (vještine koje predstavljaju preduvjet za usvajanje matematike u školi) kroz igru kao spontanu, prirodnu, složenu aktivnost koja potiče dijete na istraživanje okoline. Kako bi dijete usvojilo navedene vještine i kompetencije, ključna je uloga odgajatelja kao organizatora poticajnog prostorno-materijalnog okruženja za učenje. Osim toga, ključno je jačanje odgajateljevih profesionalnih kompetencija te educiranost u području matematike i prirodoslovlja, a sve u cilju stvaranja pozitivnih stavova o matematici. Pozitivan stav prema matematici i njenom poučavanju, te uključivanju u svakodnevne aktivnosti, je nužan za uspješnu implementaciju u odgojno-obrazovni rad s djecom. Cilj rada je dati teorijski pregled usvajanja osnovnih matematičkih pojmova i predmatematičkih vještina, kao i istaknuti važnost uloge odgajatelja u tom procesu. Osim toga, cilj rada je ispitati razinu usvojenosti predmatematičkih vještina djece predškolske dobi te povezati navedeno sa stavovima odgajatelja o matematici. Za potrebe ovog rada provedeno je empirijsko istraživanje koje se sastoji od dva dijela; u prvom dijelu cilj je ispitati mišljenja odgajatelja o matematici, a u drugom dijelu cilj je ispitati uspješnost djece u rješavanju aditivnih struktura.Mathematical competence is one of the eight key competences for lifelong learning according to the National Curriculum for Early and Preschool Education (2014). This competence is closely related to the basic competencies in science, and is developed in everyday situations by encouraging the child to develop and apply mathematical thinking in solving problems in various activities. The knowledge of well-known psychologists (Lav Vygotsky, Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner) is important for the development of these competencies. In their research, they placed special emphasis on the cognitive aspect of the child's development and precisely on those discoveries, a basic methodological path of the development of mathematical term has been devised. In order for the child to develop these competencies, it is necessary to encourage the acquisition of pre-mathematical skills (skills that are a prerequisite for learning mathematics in school) through play as a spontaneous, natural, complex activity that encourages the child to explore the environment. In order for the child to acquire the stated skills and competencies, the key role of the educator is an organizer of a stimulating spatial-material learning environment. In addition, it is crucial to strengthen the educator's professional competencies and education in the field of mathematics and science, all in order to create positive attitudes about mathematics. A positive attitude towards mathematics and its teaching, and involvement in everyday activities, is necessary for successful implementation in educational work with children. The aim of this paper is to give a theoretical overview of the acquisition of basic mathematical concepts and pre-mathematical skills, as well as to emphasize the importance of the role of educators in this process. In addition, the aim of this paper is to examine the level of acquisition of pre-mathematical skills of preschool children and to connect the above with the attitudes of educators towards mathematics. For the purposes of this paper, an empirical study consisting of two parts was conducted; in the first part the aim is to examine the opinions of educators on mathematics, and in the second part the aim is to examine the performance of children in solving additive structures