ABSTRACT

We examined how parent math attitudes and practices relate to emergent math skills in 72 preschoolers from low-income households. Specifically, we investigated parents’ views about the importance of math learning, their confidence in teaching math, their perceptions of child interest in math, and their time spent engaging their child in math activities. For comparison, we also investigated these attitudes and practices surrounding preliteracy development. Parents rated math as significantly less important than reading and perceived their children as being significantly less interested in math than reading. Reports of confidence in teaching math and perceptions of child interest in math were positively related to time spent engaging preschoolers in math activities. In turn, global reports of time spent engaging preschoolers in math activities were positively related to preschoolers’ actual math achievement. These findings strengthen the case that parental beliefs surrounding math predict practices associated with early math development.

摘要

我们研究了来自低收入家庭的 72 名学龄前儿童的家长数学态度和实践与新兴数学技能的关系。具体来说，我们调查了父母对数学学习重要性的看法、他们对教数学的信心、他们对孩子对数学兴趣的看法，以及他们花在孩子参与数学活动上的时间。为了进行比较，我们还调查了这些关于识字前发展的态度和实践。父母认为数学远不如阅读重要，并认为他们的孩子对数学的兴趣远不如阅读。对数学教学的信心和儿童对数学兴趣的看法与学龄前儿童参与数学活动的时间呈正相关。反过来，全球关于让学龄前儿童参与数学活动的时间报告与学龄前儿童的实际数学成绩呈正相关。这些发现强化了这样一个案例，即父母围绕数学的信念可以预测与早期数学发展相关的实践。