Understanding Home Math Environments and Math Talks of Children with Low and Middle Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

The early experiences of children play an important role in their mathematical skills. The purpose of this study is to explore home math environment and math talks of preschool children with low and middle socioeconomic status (SES) in their daily life. The participants of the study consisted of 14 children (45-76 months) with low and middle SES and their parents. The home math environments of the children were examined based on the materials at home and the home math activities with their parents. In addition, the natural conversations of children with their parents were recorded and their math talks were analyzed. The findings showed that the number of materials that support mathematics learning in the children’s homes with low SES children is less than children’s with middle SES. The homes of children with low and middle SES parents’ home math activities diversified in terms of the frequency and the types. In addition, parents and their children produced math talks in various categories such as counting, classification, comparison, ordering, spatial perception, operation, measuring and one-to-one corresponding during daily conversations. In all categories, parent-child dyads with middle SES produced more math talks than those with low-SES. SES is an important factor that should be taken into account in parental support to children’s math development.