2-076 - Supporting Children’s Early Mathematics Learning: Understanding the Role of the Home Environment

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Children’s early mathematics skills robustly predict later achievement (Duncan et al., 2007). Yet, our understanding of what explains differences in math skills is limited. This symposium is comprised of four complementary papers on this topic, and is framed by the rationale that differences in the home environment during childhood are likely key to understanding later math achievement gaps.

The first paper examined the implications of parent math anxiety, finding that parent math anxiety related to the expectations and values of math that parents hold for their children and to student math knowledge in kindergarten. Focusing on the role of parental beliefs, the second paper found that parents’ direct math learning and daily quantitative activities are significant mediators of the association between parental beliefs and children’s early math skills. Direct parent support was examined in the third paper, which measured spatial support provided by fathers with evidence that for girls (but not for boys), fathers’ qualitatively higher spatial concept support predicted superior math achievement scores in first grade. Finally, the fourth paper examined the role of maternal math support in explaining income-based gaps in children’s math achievement, finding that maternal support of children’s numerical, spatial, and planning skills mediated the association between household income and children’s math school readiness.

Together, these papers examined multiple factors of the home environment, finding evidence that parental math anxiety, beliefs, home practices, and direct support from fathers and mothers may explain individual differences in children’s later math achievement.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chair

• Caitlin McPherran Lombardi, University of Connecticut

Individual Presentations

• The Role of Parent Math Anxiety on Parent Math Involvement and Student Math Knowledge - Presenting Author: Talia Berkowitz, University of Chicago; Non-Presenting Author: Susan C. Levine, University of Chicago

• Specificity of the Relation Between Parental Beliefs, Home Activities, and Children's Math Skills - Presenting Author: Marina Vasilyeva, Boston College; Non-Presenting Author: Elida V. Laski, Boston College; Non-Presenting Author: Aleksander Veraksa, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Non-Presenting Author: Darya Bukhalenkova, Moscow State University

• Quality of Fathers’ Spatial Concept Support During Block Building Predicts Their Daughters’ Early Math Skills - Presenting Author: Dana Thomson, School of Social Work, Boston College; Non-Presenting Author: Beth M. Casey, Lynch School of Education, Boston College; Non-Presenting Author: Caitlin McPherran Lombardi, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Eric Dearing, Boston College

• Associations Between Family Income and Math School Readiness: Investigating the Role of Maternal Math Support - Presenting Author: Caitlin McPherran Lombardi, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Author: Eric Dearing, Boston College