One of the biggest challenges for primary school children is moving beyond the use of counting in calculation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Zambian Grade 1 to Grade 4 children at primary school see a group of 10 as an effective pattern and structure with the given concrete material. The study consisted of three phases consisting of two pilot studies and the main study, during which a total of 146 children from Grades 1–4 were asked during interviews to perform certain tasks. These tasks focused on number competencies related to counting objects, recognising number patterns and structures of concrete objects, expressing numbers of concrete objects, and composing and decomposing numbers. The response categories of the PASA (Pattern and Structure Assessment) framework in number competencies were modified to analyse the data. The aim of the analysis was to identify the degree of the acquired pattern and structural thinking. The results of the two pilot studies showed that, in formal addition with two-digit numbers, all children counted without identifying ‘groups of 10’ while some used concrete materials, some recognised numbers in a pattern and identified a ‘group of 10’, which has not been previously observed in Zambia. The main survey showed that children were able manipulate concrete objects and to recognise a ‘group of 10’ in the given 10-frames. The results confirm that children have the potential to develop the skill of transitioning from manipulating concrete objects for calculations but this is missing in the current Zambian syllabus. The findings offer new insights about positive learning processes in Zambian primary school students. The results can help to provide appropriate support in class and at curriculum level.

小学生面临的最大挑战之一是超越计算中使用计数的范围。这项研究的目的是调查赞比亚的1至4年级小学儿童如何在给定的混凝土材料下将10人一组作为有效的模式和结构。该研究包括三个阶段，包括两个试点研究和主要研究，在此期间，采访中要求总共146名1-4年级的孩子执行某些任务。这些任务集中于与计数对象有关的数字能力，识别具体对象的编号模式和结构，表达具体对象的数量以及组成和分解数字。修改了PASA（模式和结构评估）框架在数字能力方面的响应类别，以分析数据。分析的目的是确定获得的模式和结构思维的程度。两项试点研究的结果表明，正式添加两位数字后，所有儿童的计数都没有识别出“ 10组”，而一些使用混凝土材料，某些模式识别出数字并识别出“ 10组”，赞比亚以前没有观察到这种情况。主要调查显示，孩子们能够操纵混凝土物体，并在给定的10帧中识别出“ 10人一组”。结果证实，儿童有潜力发展从操纵混凝土物体进行计算的技巧，但这在当前的赞比亚教学大纲中却没有。研究结果提供了有关赞比亚小学生积极学习过程的新见解。