To Örebro University

For early mathematics learning, adaptive strategy use by students at different levels of mathematical achievement is of central importance. For several mathematical tasks, there is evidence that high-achieving students are more able to use strategies adaptively, but not yet for pattern-recognition tasks. This paper presents results from an empirical study investigating whether students with and without risk of developing mathematical difficulties use pattern-recognition strategies adaptively for patterns with different units of repeat. Pattern-recognition strategies of 74 first-grade students were analyzed using eye-tracking. The results reveal that predominantly the first graders without risk of developing mathematical difficulties show an adaptive use of pattern-recognition strategies.