Latino Parents’ Support of Young Children’s Math Learning at Home

• In Event: Parental Support of Children’s Early Mathematics Learning

Abstract

Despite the significance of early math development and the increasing number of Latinx students, which are estimated to soon comprise about one-third of school children (Murphey, Guzman, & Torres, 2014), there is little research on the home math environment of Latinx families. Exploring these factors may provide considerable opportunity for addressing disparities in math achievement. An important factor in the development of young children is the presence of adult caregivers who can support children’s mathematical development (LeFevre et al., 2009). The limited studies of Latinx parents’ beliefs demonstrate that they prioritize education, believe they play an important role in engaging their children in math, and report engaging in informal activities to foster learning (Galindo, Sonnenschein, & Montoya-Ávila, 2019). This study expands on previous work by taking a closer look at the ways in which Latinx parents support preschool children’s math learning during informal home activities using an observational methodology. We examined the frequency and level of complexity of math talk, variation in how parents responded to children’s mathematical errors, and how these factors related to children’s math abilities.

Participants were 21 Spanish-speaking and Spanish-English bilingual parents and their children (Mage = 54 months; 57% girls). Parents video recorded themselves engaging their children in three tasks: reading a story, finding hidden objects in a picture, and examining a picture to discuss things that appear out of place. Interactions were transcribed and coded using NVivo software. Parent and child math talk were coded at the level of the conversational turn for its mathematical domain (numeracy, measurement, or spatial relations) and level of complexity (concrete vs. abstract). Furthermore, when a child made a mathematical mistake, parents’ responses to those mistakes were coded as cognitive directives, verbal prompts, providing the answer, or disaffirmations. Children’s mathematical knowledge was assessed using the Applied Problems subset of the Woodcock-Johnson IV.


Results demonstrate that, on average, 27% of parents’ conversational turns and 24% of children’s conversational turns included math content. There was a positive, significant relation between the amount of math talk between parents and children. The majority of math talk pertained to numbers while they infrequently discussed measurement concepts. Gender differences were found, such that parents’ talk contained significantly more references to math ideas when interacting with sons than daughters and boys’ talk contained significantly more math language than girls’ talk. On average, 37% of parents’ and 25% of children’s math talk included high-level, abstract language such as making predictions. The remaining utterances addressed more concrete ideas such as labeling numbers. There was a positive, significant relation between the complexity of parent’s and children’s math language. When children made a math error, parents most frequently responded by providing the correct answer and least frequently prompted the child to try again. Furthermore, children’s math abilities had a significantly negative, moderate relation to the proportion of both parents’ and children’s low-level, concrete math talk. Results are framed in the context of sociocultural theory and contribute to our understanding of how Latinx parents provide diverse, supportive home-based math learning environments.

Authors

• Colleen Uscianowski, University of Cincinnati
  Presenting Author

• Maria Marti Castaner, University of Copenhagen
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kelsey Repka, Yeshiva University
  Non-Presenting Author