Moderated Effects of Grandparents on the Relationship Between Paternal Involvement and Children's Math Language

• In Event: Language-Embodied Integrative Facilitation Effect in Bilingualism: Behavioral, Developmental, and Neurophysiological Studies

Abstract

1. Objectives or Purposes
Mathematical language is children’s understanding of key words in mathematics, including quantitative words such as “more” and “less” and spatial words such as “before” and “after”. Understanding these specific mathematics terms is thought to facilitate understanding of more complex concepts. Thus it is vital to explore effects on children’s math language.
2. Perspectives or Theoretical Framework
Parental influence has been identified as an important factor affecting student achievement. Many research findings show that parental involvement in children’s learning activities positively influences their levels of achievement and motivation to learn. Due to the increase in life expectancy, the role of grandparents in the lives of younger generation has greatly increased. But whether the moderated effects of grandparents exist is unknown. We hypothesized that grandparents have moderated effects on the relationship between paternal involvement and kids math language.
3. Methods, Techniques, or Modes of Inquiry
The data is collected by the online survey, and the data will be constructed a moderated model which will be tested by structural equation modelling approach. We collect the income, educational level and accompany time as the variations of parents and grandparents, and the math language performance is tested by items of ten categories of math language.
4. Data sources, Evidence, Objects, or Materials
The online survey investigators (N=2000) are caregivers of kindergartens (aged 24 month to 60 month) in China, who fully understand the children’s performance conditions. The basic demographic conditions and the six caregivers’ income, educational level, accompany time are involved.
5. Results and/or Conclusions or Warrants for Arguments/Point of View
The preliminary findings are the income, educational level, accompany time as the variations of grandparents have the moderated effects on the relationship between paternal involvement and kids math language. As the higher income, higher educational level and more accompany time of grandparents, the children’s math language performance better, with the parents’ variable controlled.

6. Scientific or Scholarly Significance of the Study
Math language has been shown to be a strong predictor across multiple academic domains, including both mathematics skills and literacy skills. Researchers made studies about parental influence on kids’ math language performance, we now explore more effects--grandparents as the moderated which can make influence on children’s math language performance. The current results will extend those of prior studies examining the relations between parents effects and children’s math language performance, and provide insight into the processes and direction of causality underlying the relationship between caregivers’ variables and children’s math language performance.

Authors

• qian liu

• Hongli Li, Georgia State University

• Klaus Libertus, University of Pittsburgh

• Qun Guan, Beijing Language and Culture University