Abstract
This article focuses on parents’ experiences and practices supporting children’s mathematics learning. We employ a conceptual framework that makes a distinction between school-centered and parent-c...
Highlights
This article makes a contribution to knowledge in the area of primary school parents’ perceptions of their role supporting children’s mathematics learning
We report a study in which we carried out a series of group interviews with parents of 7- to 8-year-old children in 16 primary schools in a city in southwest England
We suggest that the distinction between school-centered and parent-centered approaches to parental involvement in children’s mathematics learning can help make sense of parents’ perceptions of this role
Summary
This article makes a contribution to knowledge in the area of primary school parents’ perceptions of their role supporting children’s mathematics learning. There is a large and growing body of evidence showing that parental engagement in children’s learning is associated with higher levels of attainment among children (Cairney, 2000; Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003; Melhuish et al, 2008). There is a more recent body of evidence that shows that it can be difficult for schools to raise levels of parental engagement—especially in support of mathematics learning (Gorard & Huat See, 2013; Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008). There is agreement among researchers and policy makers that parental involvement in children’s school learning is a positive influence on academic (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003) and affective (Fan & Williams, 2010) outcomes, but evidence suggests that interventions to raise levels of parental involvement are rarely successful in raising attainment (Gorard & Huat See, 2013). Research from elsewhere in the literature (e.g., Peters, Seeds, Goldstein, & Coleman, 2008) suggests that parents may find it more difficult to provide support and help with children’s mathematics homework than in other subject areas, such as reading and writing, because of their own attitudes toward, and levels of achievement in, mathematics
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