Investigating Socio-Economic, Cognitive, and Motivational Factors Associated with Home Math Environment

Authors:

Linxi Lu & Marina Vasilyeva

PRESENTED AT:

SRCD 2023 Biennial Meeting

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

(PDF)

Project description

Research has discovered noticeable differences in early home math environments, particularly when comparing families of high and low socioeconomic status. It seems that parents who have a higher level of education often engage their children in more math-related conversations and activities in everyday situations. However, the reasons behind these socioeconomic differences haven’t been explored in depth.

Our current research involves families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in various Chinese cities. We aim to dig deeper into these differences by observing how parents and children interact in different settings, gathering data on parental interest in math, and their values and beliefs about it. We’ll also interview both parents and children to gain further insight. By doing this, we hope to understand the source of these socioeconomic disparities better. Ultimately, our goal is to identify potential ways to support low socioeconomic families in need.