“Smart” Nudges, Real Gains: Family Engagement for Kindergarten Math Readiness

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Family and Parent Engagement

Abstract

Young children's early math knowledge is a powerful predictor of later academic achievement, yet families—especially those from underserved communities—often lack access to developmentally appropriate math learning opportunities at home. In this pilot study pre-kindergarteners and their parents from under-resourced communities (N = 18) were randomly assigned to a business-as-usual control or to use PAL, a parent-facing support system designed to increase developmentally appropriate math engagement in the home. From pretest to posttest, children in the PAL condition demonstrated greater math growth on the TEMA-3 than those in the control condition. Further, parent engagement with PAL was positively associated with children’s improvement. Results suggest that PAL may support kindergarten readiness through simple nudges that promote informal parent-child math activities at home.

Authors

• Anastasia L. Betts, Learnology Labs

• Benjamin Ryon, Learnology

• Elida V. Laski, Boston College