Bachman Heather J, Elliott Leanne, Duong Shirley, Betancur Laura, Navarro Monica G, Votruba-Drzal Elizabeth, Libertus Melissa
Department of Health and Human Development and the Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Front Educ (Lausanne). 2020 Nov;5. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2020.589514. Epub 2020 Nov 26.
Past research has examined parental support for math during early childhood using parent-report surveys and observational measures of math talk. However, since most studies only present findings from one of these methods, the construct (parental support for early math) and the method are inextricably linked, and we know little about whether these methods provide similar or unique information about children's exposure to math concepts. This study directly addresses the mono-operation bias operating in past research by collecting and comparing multiple measures of support for number and spatial skills, including math talk during semi-structured observations of parent-child interactions, parent reports on a home math activities questionnaire, and time diaries. Findings from 128 parents of 4-year-old children reveal substantial within-measure variability across all three data sources in the frequency of number and spatial activities and the type and content of parent talk about number and spatial concepts. Convergence in parental math support measures was evident among parent reports from the questionnaire and time diaries, such that scale composites about monthly number activities were related to number activities on the previous work day, and monthly spatial activities were correlated with spatial activities the prior non-work days. However, few parent report measures from the survey or time diary were significantly correlated with observed quantity or type of math talk in the semi-structured observations. Future research implications of these findings are discussed.
过去的研究通过家长报告调查和数学谈话的观察测量方法，考察了幼儿期家长对数学的支持情况。然而，由于大多数研究仅呈现这些方法中的一种的结果，因此结构（家长对早期数学的支持）和方法紧密相连，我们对于这些方法是否能提供有关儿童接触数学概念的相似或独特信息知之甚少。本研究通过收集和比较对数字和空间技能支持的多种测量方法，直接解决了过去研究中存在的单一操作偏差问题，这些测量方法包括在亲子互动的半结构化观察期间的数学谈话、家长对家庭数学活动问卷的报告以及时间日记。对128名4岁儿童家长的研究结果显示，在所有三个数据源中，数字和空间活动的频率以及家长关于数字和空间概念谈话的类型和内容，在测量内部都存在很大差异。问卷和时间日记中的家长报告在家长数学支持测量方面呈现出明显的趋同，例如，关于每月数字活动的量表综合得分与前一个工作日的数字活动相关，每月空间活动与前一个非工作日的空间活动相关。然而，调查或时间日记中的家长报告测量结果与半结构化观察中观察到的数学谈话数量或类型几乎没有显著相关性。本文讨论了这些研究结果对未来研究的启示。
