The first factor that may affect number skills development is national and community factors. A Country and community’s political, cultural, social and economic policies all contribute to the environment in which children develop. The success a country has in educating it’s children and producing a numerate population depends greatly on the country’s emphasis on the goal of numeracy for all, the resources it has available, and the mechanisms it has in place for providing effective programs and incentives that encourage number skills.
The second factor is home factors. Certain characteristics in a home can create a climate that encourages children to experiment and explore number skills such as, activities fostering numeracy, economic social and cultural resources, home-school connection and students’ out of school numeracy. Throughout a child’s development, the involvement of parents or caregivers remains central to the acquisition of number skills.
The third factor is school factors. Although the home is a rich environment for developing numeracy, for most children school remains the main environment for formal learning. Many factors in school affect number skills acquisition, directly or indirectly these could be the school policy and curriculum or the school environment and resources.
The fourth factor is classroom factors. Even though the curricular policies and resources of the school often set the tone for accomplishment in the classroom, students’ day to day classroom activities are likely to have a more direct impact on their number skills development than the school environment. The instructional approaches and materials used, the strategies employed to tech it, and the availability of books, technology, and other resources are clearly important to establishing teaching and learning patterns in the classroom.
The teacher is very influential in the classroom environment. This can