IMPROPER FRACTIONS: A research team led by Carnegie Mellon cognitive scientist, Robert Siegler, recently pointed to "understanding fractions and division"--or the lack thereof--as a significant predictor of math achievement at the high school level and beyond. According to Science Daily, the study "found that fifth graders' understanding of fractions and division predicted high school students' knowledge of algebra and overall math achievement." The trend holds true even when accounting for age, gender, I.Q. and other socio-economic and academic factors. The study, published in Psychological Science, is a joint effort from UC Irvine, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University, and most notably the University of London where study findings were replicated using U.K. student data. Here's a short video of Robert Siegler explaining the study.
