The Context of Children’s Mathematical Learning – Parents, Home Environment and Self-Perceptions
Children's mathematical learning does not happen in isolation – it is embedded in a context that includes the learning activities in the home environment, parents' own abilities and the self-perceptions that children develop as learners. Untangling these factors means looking at what parents do at home, their own number skills, as well as how children’s beliefs about their own competence relate to learning over time. This talk draws on two longitudinal studies of Norwegian school children. In one, we followed first- to second graders with difficulties in early numeracy and literacy, examining associations between academic self-efficacy and performance in math and reading, including differences related to parental math difficulties and gender. The second study examined the home numeracy environment and its relative contribution to children’s math development when parents’ mathematical skills were also taken into account. Findings across the two studies will be discussed in light of developmental stages in mathematical learning, and equality in school systems and gender.