Parental Math Beliefs and Home Math Experiences of Preschoolers in Chile: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The home math environment is a context where children develop early mathematics skills, which are key for their future learning. Most of the research in the field, however, comes from North American and European countries and is largely based on self-report questionnaires. This qualitative study describes the beliefs, attitudes and experiences of parents of preschoolers in Chile. Twenty-three parents (21 mothers) of 3–4-year-old children attending public preschools were interviewed. Their responses were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach. The findings revealed four themes in parent interviews: parents' attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics, parents' participation in children's learning, home learning strategies, and parents' expectations. The results of this study provide a better understanding of parental math beliefs and the math experiences parents engage in with their children at home, with implications for parents to support their children's math development.