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Play Session Study
The goal of this study was to examine parents’ and preschoolers’ exploration of math more broadly, including concepts of number, space, and patterning, during play. Preschoolers and a parent engaged in a videotaped play session involving three toys chosen to elicit exploration about numbers, space, and patterning, respectively. Analyses are currently being conducted.
Materials
Survey Study
The goal of the current study is to develop a more complete understanding of the early home math environment, encompassing both numeracy and non-numeracy aspects of that environment. Parents of preschoolers (n = 63) were surveyed about their support of three components of early mathematics knowledge (i.e., numeracy, spatial, and pattern) as well as parents’ math-related beliefs about themselves and their children. Children were administered a broad math knowledge assessment which included a numeracy subscale, and individual measures of spatial and patterning skills in the fall (concurrently). Broad math knowledge was measured again in the spring of the preschool year. Parents indicated providing some support of early math development through numeracy, spatial, and patterning activities, with a stronger emphasis on numeracy than pattern and space. Parents’ child-specific ability beliefs were related to their numeracy, pattern, and broad math support, while their parent-specific ability beliefs were related to their spatial support. Parent support was rarely linked to child skills, except that numeracy support related to concurrent numeracy knowledge. Findings suggest that although parents do support a broad range of early math skills at home, parents tend to prioritize supporting early numeracy. Parents’ beliefs, especially about their child’s academic abilities, may influence components of the early home math environment, but future research is needed to better understand the relations between parent’s academic beliefs and the home math environment they create.
Materials
Assessment Study
The goal of this study was to evaluate how well children’s pattern and spatial skills in preschool predict their mathematics knowledge after entering formal schooling (near the end of Kindergarten). It builds on the data and findings from research funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. Analyses are currently being conducted.
For Instruments see:
For more about the project, check on Open Science Framework