The Role of Parents’ Math Homework Involvement in Children’s Math Achievement and Anxiety: A Cyclical Process

• In Event: Parental Math Involvement and Children’s Math Skills: International Perspective

Abstract

Over 61% of American parents report that they assist with children’s homework or check whether children’s homework has been completed (U.S. Department of Education, 2020). Negative associations between such involvement and children’s achievement (Barger et al., 2019), however, suggest it may backfire. This may be explained by the bidirectional nature of socialization with both children and parents contributing to this process (e.g., Sameroff, 2009). Math, as a challenging subject, can be particularly difficult for children and parents who may both suffer from math anxiety (Maloney et al., 2015), but only a few studies have examined parents’ assistance with math homework (e.g., Silinskas & Kikas, 2019). Building on these studies and models of socialization, the current research examined a cyclical model in which parents are particularly likely to assist children who have math difficulties with math homework which amplifies their difficulties over time.

Children’s achievement difficulties may increase parents’ assistance with homework (e.g., because parents are worried about their progress; Pomerantz & Eaton, 2001). Once parents get involved in the homework of children who have achievement difficulties, they may use unconstructive parenting practices (e.g., control) as children are frustrated leading to frustration among parents. This can undermine children’s feelings of connectedness, competence, and autonomy, thereby disrupting their engagement and achievement (Grolnick & Pomerantz, 2022). Consequently, parents’ math homework assistance may amplify the math achievement difficulties children already have (e.g., Oh et al., 2022) and heighten their math anxiety.

To examine this cyclical model, we used a two-wave longitudinal design spanning a year. Participants were 553 (49% girls; Mage = 7.48, SD = .65) children in early elementary school and their parents (80% mothers; Mage = 37.72, SD = 6.80; 61% white, 22% Black). At both waves, parents reported on the frequency of their involvement in children’s math homework (e.g., “I check over my child’s math homework to ensure he/she has done it correctly”; αs > .76) using items adapted from prior research (e.g., Pomerantz et al., 2005). Children’s math achievement was assessed with the Applied Problems subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson III (Woodcock et al., 2001). Children reported on their math anxiety with a shortened version of the Revised Child Math Anxiety Questionnaire (Maloney et al., 2015; e.g., “How do you feel when you have to sit down and start your math homework?”; αs > .84).

A cross-lagged panel model revealed that the poorer children’s math achievement, the more involved parents were in their math homework over time (see Figure 1), p < .01. There was also an Involvement × Achievement interaction predicting children’s math achievement over time: Parents’ involvement appeared to amplify achievement difficulties the more children were already struggling, p < .01. Specifically, homework involvement dampened the later achievement of low- and average-, but not high-, achieving children (see Figure 2). Analyses predicting children’s math anxiety yielded a practically identical pattern. Thus, it appears that parents are most likely to assist with math homework when children have math difficulties, which may amplify such difficulties and math anxiety over time.

Authors

• Yilin Liu, Boston College
  Presenting Author

• Michael Barger, University of Georgia

• Dajung Oh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Eva Pomerantz, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign