FUNA
What is FUNA?
The aim of the FUNA project is to develop a new electronic assessment tool for schools and researchers to assess numeracy and mathematics learning and learning difficulties. FUNA stands for Functional Numeracy Assessment. Functional numeracy refers to the understanding and ability to use basic mathematical skills in different everyday situations. FUNA is divided into learning disability screening tasks and a broader set of tasks intended to assess mathematical skills.
Learning mathematics is not an event independent of other skills. Therefore, FUNA also includes tasks and surveys that can be used to investigate other skills, knowledge, feelings and experiences that support learning mathematics. The FUNA task includes various reading assessment tests, cognitive skills tests and questionnaires that investigate students’ attitudes and feelings towards school and the study of mathematics and reading.
FUNA tasks are developed by a joint project of national and international researchers. From Finland, researchers from the Universities of Helsinki and Turku and Åbo Akademi University are involved (members of the FUNA consortium). This FUNA consortium of researchers decides both on the content of the FUNA development work and its use in various research projects.
FUNA is intended for assessing the skills of 3–9 graders in both Finnish and Swedish. In collaboration with researchers from different countries, the task will be supplemented with other language versions. Tools are also being developed for assessing younger and older age groups.
The network of partners is constantly expanding. The FUNA consortium supports open research collaboration and the principles of open science. FUNA is not a commercial project, but we may have to charge for the use of its various parts outside the FUNA consortium research use according to the costs incurred.
FUNA operates in the ViLLE environment developed by the University of Turku’s Research Institute for Learning Analytics and can be used on both computers and tablets using a web browser.
The FUNA basic development work covers the years 2018–2023.
FUNA task sets
The FUNA tasks can be divided into four main categories: mathematics – reading – cognition – emotions and attitudes. Of these, mathematics is divided into the learning disability screen (FUNA-DB) and the FUNA-Core task.
FUNA-DB (Dyscalculia Battery)
FUNA-DB is intended to identify learning difficulties in mathematics. FUNA-DB contains time-limited tasks on number concepts and arithmetic skills with the aim of measuring the fluency of basic skills.
FUNA-Core
The purpose of the FUNA-Core task is to measure the ability to apply mathematical skills to various everyday application situations (functional numeracy). Therefore, the task consists of a large number of different thematic areas such as basic arithmetic skills, rational number concept, multiplication table, algebraic thinking, geometric thinking, problem solving, mathematical reading comprehension, etc. Tasks are developed in several working groups as needed.
FUNA-RW Reading and writing
There is a lot of overlap in the learning of reading and arithmetic skills. Learning them also supports each other. When assessing mathematical skills, it is justified to always also assess reading and writing skills. That is why the FUNA task also includes sections measuring reading and writing skills.
Reading and writing skills are assessed in FUNA with word and sentence-level reading fluency tasks and tasks measuring reading comprehension, some of which contain mathematical terms, concepts and numbers, and some other content.
FUNA-CE Cognitions and emotions
The FUNA-CE task set is divided into a cognitive task section and a questionnaire section measuring emotions and attitudes.
The cognitive tasks have been selected based on what is known about the importance of different cognitive skills for mathematical skills. The task set aims to collect tasks that are known to be strongly related to mathematical skills, such as executive function, working memory, spatial skills and reasoning skills. The task set also includes so-called control tasks, such as choice reaction time.
The aim is to use various questionnaires to map emotional experiences, attitudes or feelings and experiences of tension and anxiety related to learning. Our goal is also to investigate task orientation, learning motivation and experiences related to school well-being.
The FUNA task set is not a static entity, but a collection of different assessment tasks that is constantly expanding and developing through research and collaboration between researchers. Our goal is to produce research that supports learning and well-being, and to help schools and teachers in their work and in developing their work with knowledge and research-based assessment tools.