Next Directions in Measurement of the Home Mathematics Environment: An International and Interdisciplinary Perspective

Authors

  • Caroline Byrd Hornburg
    Department of Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
  • Giulia A. Borriello
    Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
  • Melody Kung
    College of Education and Human Development, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
  • Joyce Lin
    Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, USA
  • Ellen Litkowski
    Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Jimena Cosso
    Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Alexa Ellis
    Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Yemimah A. King
    Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Erica Zippert
    Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Natasha J. Cabrera
    Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, USA
  • Pamela Davis-Kean
    Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
  • Sarah H. Eason
    Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Sara A. Hart
    Department of Psychology and Florida Center for Reading Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
  • Iheoma U. Iruka
    Department of Public Policy and FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
  • Jo-Anne LeFevre
    Department of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
  • Victoria Simms
    School of Psychology, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
  • María Inés Susperreguy
    Faculty of Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • Abbie Cahoon
    School of Psychology, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
  • Winnie Wai Lan Chan
    Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
  • Sum Kwing Cheung
    Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
  • Maria Coppola
    Departments of Psychological Sciences and Linguistics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
  • Bert De Smedt
    Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  • Leanne Elliott
    Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  • Nancy Estévez-Pérez
    Neurodevelopment Department, Cuban Neurosciences Center, Havana, Cuba
  • Thomas Gallagher-Mitchell
    Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
  • Nicole Gardner-Neblett
    Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
  • Camilla Gilmore
    Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
  • Diana Leyva
    Department of Psychology and LRDC (Learning Research and Development Center), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  • Erin A. Maloney
    School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
  • George Manolitsis
    Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
  • Gigliana Melzi
    Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
  • Belde Mutaf-Yıldız
    Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Marmara University, İstanbul, Turkey
  • Gena Nelson
    Department of Early and Special Education, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
  • Frank Niklas
    Department of Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
  • Yuejuan Pan
    Early Childhood Education Institute, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
  • Geetha B. Ramani
    Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, USA
  • Sheri-Lynn Skwarchuk
    Faculty of Education, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
  • Susan Sonnenschein
    Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
  • David J. Purpura
    Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

Abstract

This paper synthesizes findings from an international virtual conference, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), focused on the home mathematics environment (HME). In light of inconsistencies and gaps in research investigating relations between the HME and children’s outcomes, the purpose of the conference was to discuss actionable steps and considerations for future work. The conference was composed of international researchers with a wide range of expertise and backgrounds. Presentations and discussions during the conference centered broadly on the need to better operationalize and measure the HME as a construct – focusing on issues related to child, family, and community factors, country and cultural factors, and the cognitive and affective characteristics of caregivers and children. Results of the conference and a subsequent writing workshop include a synthesis of core questions and key considerations for the field of research on the HME. Findings highlight the need for the field at large to use multi-method measurement approaches to capture nuances in the HME, and to do so with increased international and interdisciplinary collaboration, open science practices, and communication among scholars.