Dataset Information

No Association Between the Home Math Environment and Numerical and Patterning Skills in a Large and Diverse Sample of 5- to 6-year-olds.

ABSTRACT: Selecting a large and diverse sample of 5-6-year-old preschool children (179 boys and 174 girls; M _age = 70.03 months, SD _age = 3.43), we aimed to extend previous findings on variability in children's home math environment (i.e., home math activities, parental expectations, and attitudes) and its association with children's mathematical skills. We operationalized mathematics in a broader way than in previous studies, by considering not only children's numerical skills but also their patterning skills as integral components of early mathematical development. We investigated the effects of children's gender and socioeconomic status (SES) on their home math environment, examined the associations between children's home math environment and their mathematical skills, and verified whether these associations were moderated by children's gender and/or SES. Parents of 353 children completed a home math environment questionnaire and all children completed measures of their numerical (e.g., object counting) and patterning skills (e.g., extending repeating patterns). Results indicated no effect of children's gender on their home math environment. There was no effect of SES on the performed home math activities, but small SES differences existed in parents' math-related expectations and their attitudes. We found no evidence for associations between children's home math environment and their mathematical skills. Furthermore, there were no moderating effects of gender or SES on these associations. One explanation for these findings might relate to the characteristics of the general preschool system in the country of the present study (Belgium). Future studies should consider the effect of the preschool learning environment because it might explain differences between studies and countries with regard to the home math environment and its association with mathematical skills.

SUBMITTER: De Keyser L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7758193 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

No Association Between the Home Math Environment and Numerical and Patterning Skills in a Large and Diverse Sample of 5- to 6-year-olds.

De Keyser Laure L Bakker Merel M Rathé Sanne S Wijns Nore N Torbeyns Joke J Verschaffel Lieven L De Smedt Bert B

Frontiers in psychology 20201210

Selecting a large and diverse sample of 5-6-year-old preschool children (179 boys and 174 girls; M age = 70.03 months, SD age = 3.43), we aimed to extend previous findings on variability in children's home math environment (i.e., home math activities, parental expectations, and attitudes) and its association with children's mathematical skills. We operationalized mathematics in a broader way than in previous studies, by considering not only child ...[more]

PMID: 33362620

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundOptimal maternal nutrition during pregnancy has been linked to better cognitive and behavioral development in children. However, its influence on the effects of suboptimal postnatal exposures like reduced stimulation and support in the home is not known.ObjectivesTo examine the effect of maternal pregnancy diet on executive function and/or behavioral development in children raised in suboptimal home environments.MethodsData were provided by 808 mother-infant dyads from the Canadian Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals-Child Development study. Maternal pregnancy diet was self-reported using the Healthy Eating Index 2010 questionnaire. Stimulation and support in the home was assessed using the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) when children were 3-4 y old. Child executive function was reported by mothers at this age using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool Edition, and child behavior was assessed using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2nd Edition. We examined the interaction of maternal pregnancy diet and postnatal HOME scores on child executive function and behavior using linear regression adjusted for maternal education, postpartum depression, prepregnancy BMI, and smoking.ResultsMaternal pregnancy diet was associated with an increasingly positive association with child working memory (β: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.82, 3.41; P = 0.001), planning (β: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.38, 2.84; P = 0.007), and adaptability (β: -0.13; 95% CI: -1.72, -0.08; P = 0.032) as levels of postnatal stimulation decreased.ConclusionsThe positive association of maternal pregnancy diet quality and executive function and adaptability in 3- to 4-y-olds appeared to increase with decreasing levels of postnatal stimulation and support. These results suggest that overall maternal pregnancy diet could be linked to better child neurodevelopment in families experiencing barriers to providing stimulation and support to children in their home.

Dataset Information

No Association Between the Home Math Environment and Numerical and Patterning Skills in a Large and Diverse Sample of 5- to 6-year-olds.

Publications

No Association Between the Home Math Environment and Numerical and Patterning Skills in a Large and Diverse Sample of 5- to 6-year-olds.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets