Children’s Early Math Problem-Solving: The Role of Parent Numeracy Practices, Numeracy Expectations, and Math Attitudes

Authors

  • Olivia K. Cook Orcid
    Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
  • Amber E. Westover Orcid
    School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
  • Jennifer L. Coffman Orcid
    Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

Abstract

This study allows for the examination of associations between components of the home mathematics environment – including parents’ formal numeracy practices, math attitudes, and numeracy expectations – and children’s development of math problem solving skills following the transition into formal school. Sixty-six children from three schools in the Southeastern United States were assessed six times across kindergarten and first grade using a battery of academic and cognitive measures – including a task that evaluated children’s strategy use and accuracy while solving basic arithmetic problems. Parents reported the frequency with which they engaged in formal numeracy practices in the home, their attitudes towards mathematics, and their numeracy expectations for their child. Results from growth curve models, controlling for parents’ education and children’s working memory, revealed that neither parents’ numeracy practices nor their expectations accounted for differences in children’s development, but that children with parents who held more negative views towards math entered kindergarten with lower math problem-solving skills (both accuracy and strategy use) than their peers. However, children who entered kindergarten with lower skills demonstrated greater improvement in their scores over the course of the two years. Findings highlight the importance of examining aspects of the home mathematics environment other than numeracy practices – such as parents’ math attitudes – as they relate to children’s mathematical development.