| Summary: | This study examines the influence of home numeracy environment (HNE) and parental math interest on early numeracy skill development. A sample of 242 children (2.5 yrs old) who were in Finnish ECEC and their parents (N=208) from the existing longitudinal data (VUOKKO) was used in the present study. Children’s early numeracy skills (object counting skills and number producing skills) had been assessed using specific number tasks. Parental math interest, formal HNE, and informal HNE were measured through a parental questionnaire. Quantitative data analysis was conducted to explore the relationships between HNE (formal HNE, informal HNE), parental math interest, and child’s early numeracy skills (object counting, number producing). The child’s gender was considered as a potential moderator.
The results of this study indicated that parental math interest had a positive impact on informal HNE. Also, both parental math interest and informal HNE positively predicted the child’s object counting skill. However, parental math interest had no significant effect on either formal HNE or number producing skill. In some paths the child's gender acted as a moderator. For boys, parental math interest had a positive influence on informal HNE and object counting skills, while there was no significant effect for girls. In contrast, formal HNE positively predicted the girl’s number producing skill, while neither formal nor informal HNE had a significant effect in boy’s object counting and number producing skills.
Keywords: home numeracy environment (HNE), early numeracy skills, parental math attitudes, formal HNE, informal HNE
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