The effect of caregivers' number application talk on young children's number learning

Abstract

A growing body of research has found that caregivers’ number talk plays a vital role in children’s number learning. However, previous studies mainly focused on the quantity and ignored the quality of caregivers’ number talk. Moreover, most prior research was correlational. To address these research gaps, I proposed a new type of caregivers’ number talk, namely, number application talk. The current research used both correlational and experimental designs to explore the influence of caregivers’ number application talk on children’s numerical cognition and numerical interest in a supermarket shopping context. Study 1 was a correlational study with 93 Chinese K3 (kindergarten third grade) children and their caregivers in Sichuan Province, China. The speech of caregivers and children during their shopping time in a local supermarket was audio recorded. The researcher coded caregivers’ number application talk and number non-application talk. Children completed spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) tasks, a numerical interest interview, and number skill tests. Caregivers filled out a questionnaire regarding children’s numerical interest and demographics. The results from multivariate multiple regression models showed that caregivers’ application talk about calculation was positively related to child-reported numerical interest, and caregivers’ application talk solely referring to money was positively linked to children’s numerical interest reported by caregivers. Moreover, caregivers’ application talk about cardinal values was positively connected with children’s SFON. Finally, caregivers’ total number application talk was positively related to children’s performance in arithmetic word problems in the non-shopping context. Some positive associations were also found between the specific types of caregivers’ number application talk and children’s number skills. However, Study 1 was only correlational and could not determine the causal relation. To address this limitation, Study 2 was conducted. Study 2 was an experimental study with 81 Chinese K2 (kindergarten second grade) children and their caregivers in Sichuan Province, China. Caregivers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) the number application talk group, (2) the number non-application talk group, or (3) the control group. Children’s SFON and numerical interest reported by themselves and their caregivers were evaluated twice, first before the shopping activity (pretest) and then after the shopping activity (posttest). Consistent with Study 1’s findings, the results showed that, relative to the control group, children whose caregivers were in the number application talk group exhibited higher SFON tendency and caregiver-reported numerical interest. Moreover, there was a trend that SFON tendency and caregiver-reported numerical interest of the number application talk group were higher than that of the number non-application group, although the trend was not statistically significant. However, there was no difference across these three groups for child-reported numerical interest. Using both correlational and experimental designs, the present research highlighted that caregivers’ number application talk had somewhat beneficial effects on children’s numerical interest and numerical cognition. The findings not only added a useful classification for caregivers’ number talk, but also offered practical guidelines for family programs promoting children’s number learning.