Measuring preschool children's affective attitudes towards mathematics

Abstract

Educators and researchers generally agree that mathematics learning should go beyond knowing and applying concepts and procedures and include developing students’ disposition (e.g., attitude and self-efficacy) towards mathematics. Attitudes towards mathematics, broadly defined as a state of readiness that exerts a directive influence upon an individual’s mathematics learning behavior, are the most studied aspect of mathematical disposition. Mathematical attitudes are associated with mathematics achievement in elementary, middle, and high school students. Yet, little research has been conducted on preschool-age children’s attitudes towards mathematics, due mainly to the lack of appropriate instruments for measuring such attitudes among this age group. To fill this gap, this study aims to develop the Preschool Affective Attitudes towards Mathematics Scale (PAAMS; 9 items) and evaluate its psychometric properties in a cross-sectional sample of Chinese preschool children (N = 609). The children were interviewed individually on their affective attitudes towards mathematics activities with their parents, teachers, and classmates and were tested individually on their mathematics performance. Parents rated their children’s interest in mathematics activities. The results showed that a three-factor model that captured young children’s affective attitudes towards mathematics activities with their parents, teachers, and classmates fitted the data best. The PAAMS demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliabilities and satisfactory convergent correlations with parent-report child mathematics interest. Child-report mathematics affective attitudes were positively associated with mathematics performance. The results suggest that the PAAMS is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring preschool children’s affective attitudes towards mathematics.