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Scheibe DA, Wyatt L, Fitzsimmons CJ, Mielicki MK, Schiller LK, Thompson CA. Impacts of number lines and circle visual displays on caregivers' fraction understanding. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 246:105983. [PMID: 38909523 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Playful fraction picture books, together with math instructional content called "back matter," may promote fraction learning, which is crucial because fractions are difficult and often disliked content. However, open questions remain regarding how different types of back matter may affect caregivers' ability to use fraction picture books as a teaching tool. The current study offers a novel investigation into how back matter affects caregivers' (N = 160) fraction understanding (i.e., equivalence and arithmetic) and subjective beliefs about math using a pretest/posttest design. We contrasted existing back matter text with research-informed back matter text crossed with either circle area or number line visual displays. Caregivers' performance improved from pretest to posttest in the Researcher-Generated + Circles condition (fraction equivalence) and in the Existing + Circles, Researcher-Generated + Circles, and Researcher-Generated + Number Lines conditions (fraction arithmetic). In addition, caregivers were aware of their learning; they predicted improvements in their fraction arithmetic performance over time. These findings suggest that brief interventions, such as back matter in children's picture books, may improve adults' fraction understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Scheibe
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA.
| | - Lauren Wyatt
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA
| | | | - Marta K Mielicki
- Psychological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA; SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | | | - Clarissa A Thompson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA
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Simmons FR, Soto-Calvo E, Adams AM, Francis HN, Patel H, Hartley C. Longitudinal associations between parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes and young children's mathematics attainment. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 238:105779. [PMID: 37783015 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
The associations between parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes and children's mathematics attainment in early primary school were explored. Initially, parents of preschool children (Mage = 3;11 [years;months]) completed a questionnaire indexing parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes and the frequency of preschool home number experiences. The children completed mathematics assessments in their first year (n = 231, Mage = 5;2) and second year (n = 119, Mage = 6;3) of schooling and a mathematics anxiety questionnaire in their third year of schooling (n = 119, Mage = 6;7). A questionnaire indexing the frequency of primary school home number experiences was completed by 119 of the parents in their children's second year of schooling (Mage = 6;0). All indices of parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes predicted children's mathematics attainment in their first school year. These associations were independent of parental mathematics attainment and were not mediated by the frequency of preschool home number experiences. Furthermore, the positive association between preschool home number experiences and children's mathematics attainment was not weaker in the context of high parental mathematics anxiety or negative parental mathematics attitudes. One index of parental mathematics attitudes predicted children's mathematics attainment in their second school year, but this association was not significant when prior attainment was controlled. There was a stronger association between maternal mathematics anxiety and girls' attainment versus boys' attainment. Parental mathematics anxiety did not predict children's mathematics anxiety. The findings suggest that children whose parents have high mathematics anxiety or negative mathematics attitudes are more likely to have lower mathematics attainment in their first year of school. However, the mechanism underpinning this association is not yet established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona R Simmons
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK.
| | - Elena Soto-Calvo
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Anne-Marie Adams
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Hannah N Francis
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Hannah Patel
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Courtney Hartley
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
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Kim J, Shin YJ, Park D. Peer network in math anxiety: A longitudinal social network approach. J Exp Child Psychol 2023; 232:105672. [PMID: 37003154 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Regardless of age, math anxiety (i.e., adverse affective reactions in situations involving math) is associated with lower math achievement. Previous studies have investigated the role of adult figures (e.g., parents, teachers) in the development of children's math anxiety. However, given the importance of peer relationships during adolescence, we examined friendship selection and social influence on children's math anxiety using longitudinal peer network analyses. Throughout the academic semester, we found that children became more similar to their peers in math anxiety levels but did not form new peer networks based on their levels of math anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of peers' emotional reactions to math, which could influence future academic achievement and career aspirations considerably.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingu Kim
- Radboud University, 6525 XZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Busan National University of Education, Yeonje-gu, Busan 47503, South Korea
| | - Yun-Jeong Shin
- Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Daeun Park
- Sungkyunkwan University, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03063, South Korea.
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Miller P, Elliott LE, Podvysotska T, Ptak C, Duong S, Fox D, Coulanges L, Libertus M, Bachman HJ, Votruba-Drzal E. Toddler home math environment: Triangulating multi-method assessments in a U.S. Sample. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1105569. [PMID: 36895738 PMCID: PMC9989257 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1105569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Current research has documented the home math environment (HME) of preschoolers and kindergarteners. Very few studies, however, have explored the number and spatial activities in which parents engage with children during their toddler years. Methods This study examined the HME of 157 toddlers using several methodologies, including surveys, time diaries, and observations of math talk. Further, it examined correlations within and across data sources to identify areas of convergence and triangulation, and correlated HME measures with measures of toddlers' number and spatial skills. Results Findings showed that, in general, uses of different types of math activities, including both number and spatial, were intercorrelated within method. Across methods, there was high intercorrelation between the frequency of math activities reported on parent surveys and the diversity of types of math activities endorsed in time diary interviews. Parent math talk gleaned from semi-structured interviews functioned as a separate aspect of the HME; different types of math talk shared few intercorrelations with engagement in math activities as reported in either surveys or time diaries. Finally, several HME measures positively correlated with toddlers' math skills. Discussion Given extant research demonstrating that both math activities and math talk predict children's math skills, our results stress the need for multimethod studies that differentiate among these HME opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Portia Miller
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | | | - Tamara Podvysotska
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Chelsea Ptak
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Shirley Duong
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Danielle Fox
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Linsah Coulanges
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology in Education, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Melissa Libertus
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Heather J Bachman
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology in Education, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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Relations between the Home Learning Environment and the Literacy and Mathematics Skills of Eight-Year-Old Canadian Children. EDUCATION SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/educsci12080513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The home learning environment includes parental activities, attitudes, affect, knowledge, and resources devoted to supporting children’s development, including literacy and mathematics skills. These factors are related to the academic performance of preschool children (aged 3 to 6 years), before formal schooling and possibly beyond. In the present research, we examined the home learning environment of Canadian families as reported by either the mother (n = 51) or father (n = 30) of their Grade 3 child (n = 81; Mage = 8.7 years; range 8 to 9 years of age). Importantly, mothers’ and fathers’ reports of the home learning environment for school children were similar. For literacy, parents’ knowledge of children’s books and attitudes toward literacy were related to children’s vocabulary skills; home literacy was not related to word reading skills. For mathematics, parents’ reports of the frequency of activities such as practicing arithmetic facts and their attitudes toward mathematics were related to children’s arithmetic fluency. Other aspects of the home learning environment (time spent helping with homework, parents’ math anxiety) were not related to children’s performance. These results suggest some continuity between home learning environments and academic skills after children’s transition to school.
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Dearing E, Casey B, Davis-Kean PE, Eason S, Gunderson E, Levine SC, Laski EV, Libertus M, Lu L, Lombardi CM, Nelson A, Ramani G, Susperreguy MI. Socioeconomic Variations in the Frequency of Parent Number Talk: A Meta-Analysis. EDUCATION SCIENCES 2022; 12:312. [PMID: 38282965 PMCID: PMC10811961 DOI: 10.3390/educsci12050312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Using data from 12 studies, we meta-analyze correlations between parent number talk during interactions with their young children (mean sample age ranging from 22 to 79 months) and two aspects of family socioeconomics, parent education, and family income. Potential variations in correlation sizes as a function of study characteristics were explored. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the amount of number talk in parent-child interactions and both parent education and family income (i.e., r = 0.12 for education and 0.14 for income). Exploratory moderator analyses provided some preliminary evidence that child age, as well as the average level of and variability in socioeconomic status, may moderate effect sizes. The implications of these findings are discussed with special attention to interpreting the practical importance of the effect sizes in light of family strengths and debate surrounding "word gaps".
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Dearing
- Applied Developmental Psychology, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Beth Casey
- Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | | | - Sarah Eason
- Human Development & Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA
| | | | - Susan C. Levine
- Department of Psychology and Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Elida V. Laski
- Applied Developmental Psychology, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Melissa Libertus
- Learning Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Linxi Lu
- Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | | | - Ariadne Nelson
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Geetha Ramani
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - María Inés Susperreguy
- Millennium Nucleus for the Study of the Development of Early Math Skills (MEMAT), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
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Levine SC, Pantoja N. Development of children’s math attitudes: Gender differences, key socializers, and intervention approaches. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.100997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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