Kindergarteners’ spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) in relation to parent characteristics

Abstract

The present study investigated the mediating role of home numeracy practices in the relation between parent’s numeracy expectation and child’s SFON. A sample of 165 parent-child dyads (children: 88 boys, 77 girls; mean age = 4.27; parent: 99 mothers, 66 fathers) were invited to participate in a workshop where children were tested on their tendencies to focus on numerical information in informal everyday contexts, namely their spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON); and parents completed a questionnaire on home numeracy practices and their numeracy expectation. The results revealed significant correlations among home numeracy practices, parent’s numeracy expectation and child’s SFON. It also provided support for the mediating role of home numeracy practices in the relation between parent’s numeracy expectation and child’s SFON. Results from the present study highlighted the role of parental factors, in terms of their numeracy expectation and practices, in the development of SFON in kindergarteners.