"Maybe We Do More Science Than I Had Initially Thought": The Effects of Parent Confidence on Preschool Children's Informal STEM Activities and Media Use

• In Event: 28.029 - Young Children's STEM Learning From Media: The Important Role of Parent Scaffolds and Confidence

Abstract

Introduction. Preschool children’s informal learning of science and math is imperative to their interest and later achievement in the STEM fields (e.g., Watts, Duncan, Siegler, & Davis-Kean, 2014). Before children enter formal schooling, parents play a critical role in exposing children to science and math learning opportunities. Despite the prominent role parents play in their children’s early STEM education, many parents and practitioners can feel uneasy about supporting math and science concepts for preschool-aged children (Maloney, Ramirez, Gunderson, Levine, & Beilock, 2015; Early, et al., 2007). Parent confidence around science and math may affect whether they engage their children in informal science and math activities, including what types of tools they use with their children to support learning. However, there is a lacuna of research on how parents engage their children in informal science and math learning and how parent confidence affects parents’ use of digital learning tools to support their children’s learning.

Method. This study used a mixed methods design to investigate the larger context around how parents engage their preschool-aged children in informal science and math learning. Specifically, our first phase consisted of semi-structured, in-person interviews with 12 parents of preschoolers, followed by a second phase comprised of an online survey of 187 parents of preschoolers. The goal of this research was to understand what informal activities parents engage their children in and how parent confidence affects their engagement in these activities. Because media use has become ubiquitous in the lives of American children (Rideout, 2017) and could potentially be an important informal STEM tool, we examined parents use of media as an informal educational activity.

Results. The results indicate that parents are able to easily identify math activities that they do with their child like counting, playing board games, using flash cards, and cooking, but struggle to spontaneously identify similar science activities without prompts. From the survey we found that more than 80% of parents reported that they played with Lego or blocks, played puzzles, played at a water table, cooked or baked, interacted with animals or insects, or visited a museum with their child. We also found that parent confidence in math and science – like knowing developmentally appropriate activities and feeling like they can teach their child related skills – predicted the number of informal science and math activities parents reported doing with their child. Finally, we found that parent confidence in science, but not math, was related to their use of science and math media with their children.

Conclusion. Considering that science learning opportunities are present everywhere, this research documents the ways in which parents engage in math and science activities in their home and the impact that parent confidence has on the science and math activities that they engage in. Further, it provides practitioners with insights that can help them empower parents to feel confident rather than unsure of how to provide their children with rich science learning opportunities.

Authors

• Bri Hightower, Northwestern University

• Kelly J. Sheehan, Age of Learning

• Alexis Lauricella, Erikson Institute

• Ellen Wartella, Northwestern University