Relationship between Early Mathematical Competence, Gender and Social Background in Chilean Elementary School Population. [Relación entre los niveles de competencia matemática temprana, género y extracción social en la población escolar primaria en Chile

Abstract

The article describes the levels of early mathematical competence shown by Chilean pre-schoolers and primary students related to relational and numerical competence (N = 1437) that were assessed by means of the Early Mathematical Evaluation Test in its Utrecht version (TEMT-U). The study confirms that there are significant differences concerning early mathematical competence with regard to the academic level and children’s chronological age; however, neither gender nor social backgrounds are relevant in that respect. Results show that social background and gender do not represent an explanatory factor related to mathematical competence in initial schooling levels; the opposite happens in later years, which suggests that perhaps it is the quality of the educational action what makes the difference.