Abstract
Children’s early numerical competencies are of great importance for later academic achievement. Young children gain these competencies in the context of the home numeracy environment (HNE). Additionally, child characteristics and families’ socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with children’s competencies. In this study, we investigated parents’ occupations (i.e., STEM or non-STEM occupation) as a specific aspect of the SES to understand whether parental occupations are associated with children’s numerical competencies and whether such an association may depend on the HNE. We analysed data from a sample of N = 190 children (Mage = 63.58 months; SD = 4.41) at two measurement points. Correlational analyses and crossed-lagged models were conducted to predict children’s numerical competencies by a global measure of the HNE and parental STEM vs. non-STEM occupations. We found significant associations between parents’ learned and current occupations and the HNE. Further, significant associations between parents’ learned occupations and children’s numerical competencies were observed. However, parents’ current occupations were not significantly associated with children’s numerical competencies. Consequently, more specific facets of the SES instead of a global measure seem to be associated with children’s numerical competencies. A greater focus on specific differences between family characteristics and their potential impact on children’s HNE and the development of their numerical competencies seems expedient.
Highlights
The results showed that the excluded cases of the learned occupation dataset differed significantly in children’s numerical competencies at t1 (t (188) = 2.332, p = 0.021) and t2 (t (186) = 2.091, p = 0.038), the socioeconomic status (SES) (t (185) = 5.550, p < 0.001), and the migration background (t (180,000) = −15.770, p < 0.001)
To test the relationships between the learned and current occupations, the home numeracy environment (HNE), and the numerical competencies of the children, we developed two different models
Our results indicate that parents’ learned STEM occupations, but not their current occupations, are positively related to children’s numerical competencies
Summary
Family’s Socioeconomic Status and Children’s Early Numerical Competencies. In the context of early child development, many studies consider the socioeconomic status (SES) of a family to be a key aspect [1]. Most of the research on SES-based disparities in children’s early academic skills and development focuses on literacy and language skills [2]. Numerical competencies, such as the comparison of numbers, the knowledge about counting principles and cardinality, and solving arithmetic problems, have not been the focus of many studies [1], despite being of great importance for later school achievement [3]. Several studies indicate that individual child characteristics and later school achievement are associated with families’ SES [1,6,7]. Poverty and low parental education seem to be associated with children’s poor outcome scores, whereas parents with higher income and education often provide a higher-quality learning environments by having more conversations with their children, being more responsive, and providing more teaching experiences, all of which leads to better child performance [1,8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
