Chinese mothers' and fathers' involvement in children's mathematics learning : examining the frequency and process of parent–child mathematical activities /

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Student Theses

2020

Huang, Qi

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

It is well acknowledged that parent–child mathematical activities have a significant influence on children's mathematics learning. However, most past studies mainly focused on mother–child mathematical activities, and only a limited number of studies have systematically examined the influence of different types of mathematical activities on parent–child interactions and children's mastery of mathematics. In addition, there is a lack of research investing the combined effects of participation frequency and process of parent–child mathematical activities on children's mathematics learning. More importantly, existing studies of parent–child mathematical activities usually ignored children's initiative-taking, making it difficult to understand the role of parents and children in early mathematics learning.In this study, we examined the characteristics of participation frequency, parental scaffolding, and child initiative in three types of mother–child and father–child mathematical activities (i.e., academic worksheet, play-based game, and reality-based application activities). Associations among participation frequency, parental scaffolding, and child initiative in each type of parent–child mathematical activity, and mechanisms about how they were jointly related to children's mathematics achievement were investigated. Ninety-six Chinese preschoolers (M = 71.46, SD = 4.29 months, 47 girls) participated in this study with their mothers and fathers. All mothers and fathers completed a worksheet, a game, and an application activity with their children separately. Interactions between parents and children were video-recorded. Mothers and fathers also independently reported their own frequency of mathematical activities with their children at home. Children's mathematics competence was assessed using the Test of Early Mathematics Ability – Third Edition. Parents' scaffolding (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and autonomy support) and children's initiative-taking behaviors (i.e., self-starting, metacognition, and persistence) during the process of parent–child interactions were coded and analyzed.Results showed that mothers were involved in worksheet-based activities more frequently than fathers. Mothers provided more scaffolding behavior compared to fathers in parent-child interactions, while children showed more initiative when interacting with their fathers than with their mothers. Correlational analyses indicated that participation frequency was not correlated with parental scaffolding, while participation frequency and parental scaffolding were related to children's initiative in parent–child mathematical activities. Moreover, participation frequency and parental scaffolding are found to predict children's mathematics competence differently depending on the activity involved. Children's initiative appeared to be the most consistent predictor of their mathematics competence. More importantly, path analyses demonstrated the mechanism that children's initiative in parent–child mathematical activities mediated the relations of participation frequency and parental scaffolding with children's mathematics competence. This study extends the literature on the important roles that participation frequency, parental scaffolding, and child initiative play in children's mathematics learning with a sample of two-parent Chinese families. It also enriches the evidence on the importance of mothers' and fathers' involvement in different types of mathematical activities. The findings of this study also have implications for improving the quality of parenting and inspiring programs involving parent–child activities

LG51.H43 Dr 2020eb Huangq

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/zEXR2bzc