{"title":"Math Talk in Play Contexts: Relations Between Parent and Child Math Language and Early Math Skills","authors":"Hsin-Hui Huang","doi":"10.1007/s10643-024-01783-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Math language plays a crucial role in early math skill development. However, previous studies have measured math language using children’s knowledge or the environmental input of mathematical language, often limiting the scope to specific types of mathematical language. This study examined both numerical (e.g., number-related) and non-numerical (e.g., geometry, measurement, and spatial relations) mathematical expressions used by parents and young children during play and explored how combinations of these math language types related to early math skills. Fifty-eight children aged four to six years and their parents participated in laboratory-based tasks, including a 15-minute play session and a standardized math assessment. The results showed that numerical and non-numerical expressions were used at similar frequencies, and there were strong correlations between parents’ and children’s math language across various types. Mediation analyses revealed that children’s use of math language mediated the relation between the mathematical input they received and their early math skills, but this effect emerged only when advanced numerical and geometry language was considered. These findings emphasize the significance of children’s active use of math language and highlight the need to integrate numerical and non-numerical content in research on early mathematical development.</p>","PeriodicalId":47818,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Education Journal","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Early Childhood Education Journal","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01783-w","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Math language plays a crucial role in early math skill development. However, previous studies have measured math language using children’s knowledge or the environmental input of mathematical language, often limiting the scope to specific types of mathematical language. This study examined both numerical (e.g., number-related) and non-numerical (e.g., geometry, measurement, and spatial relations) mathematical expressions used by parents and young children during play and explored how combinations of these math language types related to early math skills. Fifty-eight children aged four to six years and their parents participated in laboratory-based tasks, including a 15-minute play session and a standardized math assessment. The results showed that numerical and non-numerical expressions were used at similar frequencies, and there were strong correlations between parents’ and children’s math language across various types. Mediation analyses revealed that children’s use of math language mediated the relation between the mathematical input they received and their early math skills, but this effect emerged only when advanced numerical and geometry language was considered. These findings emphasize the significance of children’s active use of math language and highlight the need to integrate numerical and non-numerical content in research on early mathematical development.
期刊介绍:
Early Childhood Education Journal is a professional publication of original peer-reviewed articles that reflect exemplary practices in the field of contemporary early childhood education. Articles cover the social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development of children age birth through 8, analyzing issues, trends, and practices from an educational perspective. The journal publishes feature-length articles that skillfully blend 1) theory, research, and practice, 2) descriptions of outstanding early childhood programs worldwide, and 3) quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research. Early Childhood Education Journal is of interest not only to classroom teachers, child care providers, college and university faculty, and administrators, but also to other professionals in psychology, health care, family relations, and social services dedicated to the care of young children.
Areas of Emphasis:
International studies;
Educational programs in diverse settings;
Early learning across multiple domains;
Projects demonstrating inter-professional collaboration;
Qualitative and quantitative research and case studies;
Best practices in early childhood teacher education;
Theory, research, and practice relating to professional development;
Family, school, and community relationships;
Investigations related to curriculum and instruction;
Articles that link theory and best practices;
Reviews of research with well-articulated connections to the field