Maria Ines Susperreguy

Early Predictors of High School Mathematics Achievement

Identifying the types of mathematics content knowledge that are most predictive of students’ long-term learning is essential for improving both theories of mathematical development and mathematics education. To identify these types of knowledge, we examined long-term predictors of high school students’ knowledge of algebra and overall mathematics achievement. Analyses of large, nationally representative, longitudinal data sets from the United States and the United Kingdom revealed that elementary school students’ knowledge of fractions and of division uniquely predicts those students’ knowledge of algebra and overall mathematics achievement in high school, 5 or 6 years later, even after statistically controlling for other types of mathematical knowledge, general intellectual ability, working memory, and family income and education. Implications of these findings for understanding and improving mathematics learning are discussed.

The Role of Mediators in the Development of Longitudinal Mathematics Achievement Associations

Despite research demonstrating a strong association between early and later mathematics achievement, few studies have investigated mediators of this association. Using longitudinal data (n = 1,362), this study tested the extent to which mathematics self-concepts, school placement, executive functioning, and proficiency in fractions and division account for the association between mathematics achievement in first grade and at age 15. As hypothesized, a strong longitudinal association between first-grade and adolescent mathematics achievement was present (β = .36) even after controlling for a host of background characteristics, including cognitive skills and reading ability. The mediators accounted for 39% of this association, with mathematics self-concept, gifted and talented placement, and knowledge of fractions and division serving as significant mediators.

Maternal Math Talk in the Home and Math Skills in Preschool Children.

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The current study analyzed the relation between the amount of mathematical input that preschool children hear (i.e., math talk) from their mothers in their homes and their early math ability a year later. Forty mother–child dyads recorded their naturalistic exchanges in their homes using an enhanced audio-recording device (the Language ENvironment Analysis System). Results from a sample of naturalistic interactions during mealtimes indicated that all mothers involved their children in a variety of math exchanges, although there were differences in the amount of math input that children received. Moreover, being exposed to more instances of math talk was positively related to children’s early mathematical ability a year after the recordings, even after we controlled for maternal education, self-regulation, and recorded minutes. Practice or Policy: These findings improve the understanding of how mothers use math with their preschool children in naturalistic contexts, providing some insight for parents into how to foster children’s math skills through verbal input in their normal routines. Moreover, these findings inform kindergarten teachers and practitioners about the math input that children receive at home, which may encourage them to adapt their practice by considering the home environment.

Pathways to College: Latino Youth and the Transition to Higher Education

It is predicted that by the year 2050, Latinos will make up approximately 30% of the U.S. population. Although the high school completion rate for Latinos has increased over the years, only 44% of these students transition into college. Latinos are faced with numerous obstacles as they try to navigate the college pipeline such as being more likely to attend high poverty secondary schools and have parents with little experience with college education. Despite these challenges, many Latino students continue to be academically successful. From 2009 to 2010, there was a 24% growth in Hispanic enrollment, a higher increase than any other ethnic group. It is important to note that much of this enrollment growth has been at community colleges with 46% of Latino students matriculating to two-year institutions. Latinos are still the least likely to complete a bachelor’s degree. While nearly 39% of white 25- to 29-year-olds completed a four-year degree in 2010, only 13% of Latinos did the same. Thus, it is important to identify factors that may influence the high school to college transition for Latino youth, as well as factors that impact college completion. This chapter explores these issues as a function of the academic and family culture that support the development of achievement in Latino youth. We highlight the important differences in those that matriculate to community college and those to four-year colleges.

Socialización de matemáticas en el hogar: uso de grabaciones de voz para estudiar conversaciones matemáticas

Abstract This study examined conversations about maths (maths talk) between mothers and their preschoolers in the home setting. Naturalistic conversational data on 40 mother-child dyads from a Midwestern area in the United States were gathered using the Language ENvironment Analysis System (LENA). A sample of up to four hours of talk during shared meals for each dyad was transcribed, coded and analysed in terms of maths talk. The results showed that all mothers and children engaged in maths talk during the hours recorded, though the amount of maths talk varied from zero to 308 utterances per hour. The main types of maths input involved naming numbers, counting, using ordinal numbers and referring to numbers in the context of time. Most of the maths talk was initiated and dominated by mothers. The results of this study underscore the ways mothers socialize mathematics with their preschoolers in interactions during meals and provide support for the use of voice recordings to study maths input in the home environment.

Distinct Influences of Mothers and Fathers on Kindergartners’ Numeracy Performance: The Role of Math Anxiety, Home Numeracy Practices, and Numeracy Expectations

ABSTRACT The current study analyzed maternal and paternal differential influences on numeracy performance in kindergarten children. Participants were 180 Chilean children from backgrounds of low and high socioeconomic status (SES), their mothers, and their fathers. A path analysis was used to explore the influences of both maternal and paternal numeracy practices on children’s numeracy performance and the influences of maternal and paternal expectations and anxiety on those activities. Research Findings: Results showed that mothers and fathers who endorse higher numeracy expectations for their children and who report lower levels of math anxiety also report engaging more frequently in advanced numeracy practices with their children. Mothers’—but not fathers’—engagement in numeracy practices at home predicted children’s numeracy performance. Also, low-SES mothers engaged more frequently in numeracy practices with their children, and mothers in general engaged more often in numeracy activities with girls than with boys. Practice or Policy: These findings improve understanding of how maternal and paternal processes relate differently to numeracy performance in kindergarten children. Moreover, these results highlight the need to take into account parents’ numeracy attitudes and practices, as well as their SES, when designing interventions directed at increasing family support for math achievement.

Math Talk Between Children and Mothers and Its Connection to Math-Related Practices in the Home Setting

Early math skills are crucial for childrens later achievement in school. These skills can be fostered by parents in informal contexts in the home in several ways. This chapter looks at how mothers and children talk about math during mealtimes, a context that has proved to promote opportunities for children to learn new words and information, and the links between math talk and math-related practices. Math talk (ie, talk about numbers, number operations, units of measure, or counting) occurring among mother–child dyads is described and analyzed as it occurs in natural exchanges in the home setting. The results show large variability in the frequency with which mothers and children engage in math talk at home. Math talk was also related to the math practices that mothers reported engaging in with their children 1 year later. The implications of these findings for families, teachers, and researchers are also discussed.

Corrigendum to Early Predictors of High School Mathematics Achievement (Psychological Science (2012), 23(7), (691-697), 10.1177/0956797612440101)

Siegler, Robert S., Duncan, Greg J., Davis-Kean, Pamela E., Duckworth, Kathryn, Claessens, Amy, Engel, Mimi, Susperreguy, Maria I., & Chen, Meichu. (2012). Early Predictors of High School Mathematics Achievement. Psychological Science, 23(7), 691–697. (Original DOI: 10.1177/0956797612440101)