title: Maternal Support of Children's Early Numerical Concept Learning Predicts Preschool and First-Grade Math Achievement.
abstract: The primary goal in this study was to examine maternal support of numerical concepts at 36 months as predictors of math achievement at 4½ and 6-7 years. Observational measures of mother-child interactions (n = 140) were used to examine type of support for numerical concepts. Maternal support that involved labeling the quantities of sets of objects was predictive of later child math achievement. This association was significant for preschool (d = .45) and first-grade math (d = .49), controlling for other forms of numerical support (identifying numerals, one-to-one counting) as well as potential confounding factors. The importance of maternal support of labeling set sizes at 36 months is discussed as a precursor to children's eventual understanding of the cardinal principle.
authors.affiliation: Boston College.
authors.forename: Beth M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.affiliation: Boston College.
authors.forename: Caitlin M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.affiliation: Boston College.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: Boston College.
authors.forename: Hoa Nha
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Boston College.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paz
authors.affiliation: Boston College.
authors.forename: Cote A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Theriault
authors.affiliation: Boston College.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dearing
mesh_terms: D000076363:Academic Success; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008433:Mathematics; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*