The mathematics of young children
In the research group, we look at how young children engage in mathematical activity through play in the home and in kindergarten and the first year of school. We also consider how preservice teachers learn about how to engage children with mathematics through play.
The research team uses Bishop’s (1988) six fundamental mathematical activities to investigate the kinds of mathematics that children engage with. This way of thinking about mathematics enable us to explore what affects teachers of young children and kindergartens and schools' provision of learning possibilities in relation to these mathematical activities. It also provides opportunities to consider what happens outside of kindergarten and school situations with others, such as parents.
We are particularly interested in finding out how wider societal changes, such as the introduction of new technology or changes in the demographics of children may impact different groups of children's opportunities to participate in mathematical activity relevant to their current and future lives. This includes considering how children’s own interests can be incorporated by them into their mathematical problem posing. We are also interested in how preservice teachers learn about integrating play into mathematical work that could include using new technologies.
The research group The mathematics of young children is a subgroup of the research group Mathematics education in a critical perspective.
Publications
2026
Fosse, T., Lange, T., & Meaney, T. (2026). Mathematical modelling in the early years of school. In T. Meaney, C. Benz, A. Montone, B. DiPaola & M. Fiorentino, (Eds.) Engaging with mathematics in the early years: Results from 6th POEM conference (pp. 153-168). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-16065-2_10
Furnes, A.S., Haaland, S.A., Lossius, M.E.H., & Severina, E. (2026). Preservice kindergarten teachers designing and discussing mathematics in games. In T. Meaney, C. Benz, A. Montone, B. DiPaola & M. Fiorentino, (Eds.) Engaging with mathematics in the early years: Results from 6th POEM conference (pp. 183–200). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-16065-2_12
Vee, M., Lembrér, D., Meaney, T. (2026). Similarities and differences in Norwegian and Swedish early childhood preservice teachers’ responses to the use of digital technologies for supporting mathematical explorations. In T. Meaney, C. Benz, A. Montone, B. DiPaola & M. Fiorentino, (Eds.) Engaging with mathematics in the early years: Results from 6th POEM conference (pp. 351–366). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-16065-2_22
2025
Furnes, A. S. (2025). Design ein barnehage for leik! Tangenten - tidsskrift for matematikkundervisning, 36(2), 38–43.
Meaney, T., Severina, E., Undheim, M., & Granone, F. (2025). Defining professional digital competence of early childhood teachers working with mathematics. Nordisk barnehageforskning, 22(2), 241–259.
Semundseth, M., Fosse, T. & Tørstad, S.J.G. (2025). Å gripe øyeblikket: Barnehageansatte som vet å gripe gylne spontane øyeblikk i hverdagen, kan bidra til å styrke barns kompetanse i språk, tekst og matematikk. Første steg, (1), 66–68.
Severina, E., Lossius, M.H., Doublet, R., Furnes, A., Haaland, S.A., Rieber-Mohn, R., Røskeland, M., Frøyland, R., Fimreite, H., Pedersen, L., & Ødegaard, E.E. (2025). LekForsk i STM: Tverrfaglig utforsking av lekende tilnærminger til undervisning i høyere utdanning i Språk, tekst og matematikk. KINDknow notes series 19.
Steffensen, L., Froyn, T., Fosse, T. & Hansen, C.M.R. (2025). Med kritisk blikk: Lek og spill under lupen. I Tangenten -tidsskrift for matematikkundervisning, 36(2), 50–55.
Vee, M., & Meaney, T. (2025). The potential socio-political influences on kindergarten preservice teachers’ evaluations of children’s use of mathematical digital apps. NOMAD Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 30(2), 24–43.
Ødegaard, E. E., Birkeland, J., Glosvik, Ø., Oen, M., Fimreite, H., Oropilla, C. T., Jespersen, E., Sønsthagen, A.G., Lossius, M, Severina, E., Schei, T, B., Skoglund, R. I., Skovbjerg, H. M. (2025). EX-PED-LAB – Prosjekthåndbok. KINDknow – Noteseries nr. 18, 2025.
2024
Fosse, T. & Meaney, T. (2024). Young students’ representations of mathematics in posing problems about fairness. Quaderni di Ricerca in Didattica, 13, 19–28. ISSN on-line: 1592-4424
Papavlasopoulou, S., Undheim, M., Esmaeeli, S. & Meaney, T. (2024). Early childhood pre-service teachers’ preparation for using technology with children: A systematic literature review. European Journal of Teacher Education.
2023
Fosse, T., Lange, T., & Meaney, T. (2023). Lek med problemer. Nordisk Barnehageforskning, 20(2), 89–109.
Furnes, A., & Grindheim, L. T. (2023). Brettspel som tilrettelegging for utdanning for berekraftig utvikling i barnehagen. Nordisk barnehageforskning,19(3), 45–64.
Meaney, T. J., Severina, E., Gustavsen, M., Hoven, C., Larsen, S., Sulen, A.-G. (2023). Mathematical and computational thinking in children’s problem solving with robots. In Teaching Mathematics as to be Meaningful – Foregrounding Play and Children’s Perspectives: Results from the POEM5 Conference (s. 97–118). Springer.
Vee, M. K. (2023). How do beginning preservice kindergarten teachers’ evaluations of mathematical apps provide insights into their understandings about bildung (danning) for young children? Nordisk Barnehageforskning, 20(2), 51–69.
Vee, M. K. (2023). Kindergarten preservice teachers’ descriptions of the learning potential of mathematical digital games. In P. Drijvers, C. Csapodi, H. Palmér, K. Gosztonyi, & E. Kónya (Eds.), Thirteenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME13). Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics; Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest. ⟨hal-04422835⟩.
Ødegaard, E. E., Hu, A., Severina, E., Oropilla, C. T., & Birkeland, Å. (2023). Felles utforskning som arbeidsform - en vei å vise - en vei å gå. Rapport fra en nasjonal studie om innhold og arbeidsmåter i barnehagen. KINDknow Notes Series 2023. Bergen: BARNkunne – Senter for barnehageforskning.
2022
Fosse, T., Lange, T. & Meaney, T. (2022). Issues with using Activity Theory to understand how Master students view their research skills as contributing to their future teaching. Twelfth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME12). HAL Id : hal-03749087
Vee, M. K., & Meaney, T. (2022). Kindergarten preservice teachers evaluating mathematical apps. In G. A. Nortvedt et al. (Eds.), Bringing Nordic mathematics education into the future: Proceedings of Norma 20, The Ninth Nordic Conference on Mathematics Education (Vol. 20, pp. 249–256). Swedish Society for Research in Mathematics Education.