The Rapid Automatized Naming of Quantities and Its Associations with the Other RAN Tasks and Arithmetic and Reading Fluency in Grades 3–6

This study focuses on the rapid automatized naming (RAN) of quantities as part of the RAN assessment instrument and its association with arithmetic and reading fluency. A total of 713 Finnish children in Grades 3–6 participated in the study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a 2-factor structure of RAN tasks, comprising alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric factors. RAN quantities had significant loadings on both RAN factors, suggesting that the task shares features of both symbolic and semantic aspects of the RAN process. Additionally, performance in RAN quantities was associated with arithmetic fluency, beyond the influence of RAN digits. Interestingly, this connection was not domain-specific, as the association was also found with reading fluency, even when controlling for RAN digits or objects. The findings suggest that RAN quantities extend the RAN assessment instrument in a meaningful way.