To test the hypothesis that a higher tendency to "s"pontaneously "f"ocus "o"n "m"ultiplicative "r"elations (SFOR) leads to improvements in rational number knowledge via more exact estimation of fractional quantities, we presented sixth graders (n = 112) with fraction number line estimations and a…

Numerical understanding and arithmetic skills are easier to acquire for whole numbers than fractions. The "integrated theory of numerical development" posits that, in addition to these differences, whole numbers and fractions also have important commonalities. In both, students need to learn how to interpret number symbols in terms of…