Parents’ attitudes towards helping children learn math: how do they matter for early math competence?

The home math environment is vital for early math development. Yet, there is limited understanding of how parents translated their attitudes towards helping children learn math (HCLM) into actions to influence their young children’s math-related outcomes. Thus, the present study examined whether parents’ perceived competence, value, and pressure about HCLM contributed to young children’s math competence through parents’ interest in HCLM, home math activities, and children’s interest in math. One hundred forty-seven parents were surveyed about their attitudes, practices, and their children’s math interest. Meanwhile, their children were individually tested on applied math problem solving. Results showed that parents’ perceived competence and value about HCLM predicted their interest in HCLM, while parents’ pressure about HCLM predicted children’s math interest. Parents’ interest in HCLM is positively linked to children’s applied math problem solving via children’s math interest. This study shed light on the importance of promoting parents’ positive attitudes towards HCLM.