Early math interest can motivate children to learn more challenging math concepts, whereas early math ability can provide children with a good foundation for solving complex math problems [1]. It is thus important to identify variables affecting children’s early math interest and ability. Past research shows that the home math environment is vital for children’s early math development, including their math interest and ability [2]. The home math environment includes parents’ beliefs, attitudes and practices relating to children’s math learning [3]. Nonetheless, many existing studies focus on the math learning activities initiated by parents at home and their effects. Though studies conducted with older children [4] found that parents’ achievement goals affect children’s development, up until now, little is known about parents’ goal orientations toward children’s math learning. It is also unclear whether parents’ different goal emphases have differential impacts on children’s early math development. Therefore, this study investigated the nature of parents’ goal orientations toward children’s math learning, as well as their relationships with children’s early math interest and ability. To achieve our research aims, a total of 101 young children (44.6% girls) and their parents (88.1% mothers) were recruited from seven kindergartens in Hong Kong as participants. All the children were in the first year of kindergarten, and their mean age was 4.07 years old. To assess their early math abilities, they were individually tested by the research team at their school. Meanwhile, their parents completed a questionnaire about their goal orientations toward children’s math learning, as well as their children’s early math interest.

Authors: Ka Lam Cheng, Sum Kwing Cheung

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2022

• Date of Conference: 21-23 June, 2022
• DOI: 10.20533/CICE.2022.0020
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-913572-49-5
• Conference Location: Virtual (Mississauga, Canada)