A Preregistered Study of the Relation Between Home Numeracy Experiences and Math Skills in French Preschoolers.

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Even before they enter school, children show considerable inter-individual differences in their mathematic abilities. This suggests disparities in opportunities to be exposed to math at home. While most prior studies have assessed children’s home numeracy experiences (HNE) through indirect parental questionnaires, some have also used more direct measures of parental number talk, i.e. how parents talk about math with their children. The literature suggests that the relation between math skills and HNE is relatively complex.
For example, some studies have found a relation between symbolic math skills and formal HNE (activities in which parents intend to teach math) while others have found a relation between non-symbolic math skills and informal HNE (activities in which math learning may be incidental) (Elliott et al., 2017). It has also been suggested that the relation depends on HNE complexity, with advanced formal practices being uniquely related to math skills. In terms of number talk, while studies have found a positive relation between quantity of number talk and various children’s math abilities (e.g., Levine et al., 2010), this relation appears to be stronger for number talk involving counting and labeling large sets of present objects than counting or labeling small sets of objects or any sets of non present objects (Gunderson & Levine, 2011). However, there is considerable variation in the way HNE are analyzed. This raises questions about analytical flexibility and makes it difficult to distinguish exploratory from confirmatory results. Yet, to our knowledge, no prior study on HNE has pre-registered its hypotheses and methods.
We will recruit 80 kindergarteners with one of their parents (which should provide at least 80% power to detect HNE effects at α=.05; Dunst et al., 2017). Parents will be asked (i) to complete a questionnaire about HNE (adapted from LeFevre et al., 2009 and available at https://forms.gle/U7WuC4xFMUD92Wsx5) and (ii) to be recorded with their child during a free play session in the lab (so as to measure number talk, adapted from Elliott et al., 2017). Children’s math achievement will be assessed using the TEDI-MATH battery, measuring both symbolic (symbolic number understanding, counting and arithmetic calculation) and non-symbolic skills (quantity estimation).
We make 6 predictions. First, we predict that informal HNE will be related to non-symbolic (not symbolic) skills. Second, we predict that formal HNE will be related to symbolic (not non-symbolic) skills. Third, we predict that the latter relation will be stronger for advanced formal HNE than basic formal HNE. Fourth, we expect number talk to positively relate to children’s math skills. Fifth, we predict that this relation will be stronger for number talk involving counting and labeling large sets of present objects than other number talk. Sixth, if the relations above are uniquely driven by HNE, we expect them to hold even when controlling for family SES, children’s IQ and parental math skills in regression analyses. Data collection is underway (61 children have already been tested) but we will not analyze any data until the targeted sample size is reached.

Authors

• Cléa Girard, Universite Lyon 1
  Presenting Author

• Léa Longo, Inserm
  Non-Presenting Author

• Hanna Chesnokova, Inserm
  Non-Presenting Author

• Justine Epinat-Duclos, Inserm
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jérôme Prado, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
  Non-Presenting Author