Examining the Factor Structure of the Home Mathematics Environment to Delineate Its Role in Predicting Preschool Numeracy, Mathematical Language, and Spatial Skills

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dc.contributor.authorPurpura, David J.en
dc.contributor.authorKing, Yemimah A.en
dc.contributor.authorRolan, Emilyen
dc.contributor.authorHornburg, Caroline Byrden
dc.contributor.authorSchmitt, Sara A.en
dc.contributor.authorHart, Sara A.en
dc.contributor.authorGanley, Colleen M.en
dc.contributor.departmentHuman Development and Family Scienceen
dc.date.accessioned2020-10-07T17:45:18Zen
dc.date.available2020-10-07T17:45:18Zen
dc.date.issued2020-08-06en
dc.description.abstractA growing body of evidence suggests that the ways in which parents and preschool children interact in terms of home-based mathematics activities (i.e., the home mathematics environment; HME) is related to children's mathematics development (e.g., primarily numeracy skills and spatial skills); however, this body of evidence is mixed with some research supporting the relation and others finding null effects. Importantly, few studies have explicitly examined the factor structure of the HME and contrasted multiple hypothesized models. To develop more precise models of how the HME supports children's mathematics development, the structure of the HME needs to be examined and linked to mathematics performance. The purpose of this study was to extend prior work by replicating the factor structure of the HME (as one general HME factor and three specific factors of direct numeracy, indirect numeracy, and spatial) and using those factors to predict direct assessments of children's numeracy, mathematical language, and spatial skills. It was hypothesized that the general HME factor would be related to each direct assessment, the direct numeracy factor would be related to both numeracy and mathematical language, and the spatial factor would be related to spatial skills. Using a sample of 129 preschool children (Mage = 4.71 years,SD= 0.55; 46.5% female), a series of confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Results diverged somewhat from prior work as the best fitting model was a bifactor model with a general HME factor and two specific factors (one that combined direct and indirect numeracy activities and another of spatial activities) rather than three specific factors as had previously been found. Further, structural equation modeling analyses suggested that, in contrast to expectations, only the direct + indirect numeracy factor was a significant predictor of direct child assessments when accounting for age, sex, and parental education. These findings provide evidence that a bifactor model is important in understanding the structure of the HME, but only one specific factor is related to children's outcomes. Delineating the structure of the HME, and how specific facets of the HME relate to children's mathematics skills, provides a strong foundation for understanding and enhancing the mechanisms that support mathematics development.en
dc.description.notesThis project was supported in part by a grant from the Clifford B. Kinley Trust (Award #208424). Findings from this study do not necessarily reflect the views of the funder. Publication of this article was funded in part by Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund.en
dc.description.sponsorshipClifford B. Kinley Trust [208424]; Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Funden
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01925en
dc.identifier.issn1664-1078en
dc.identifier.other1925en
dc.identifier.pmid32849131en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/100302en
dc.identifier.volume11en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjecthome mathematics environmenten
dc.subjectmathematicsen
dc.subjectparent-child interactionsen
dc.subjectnumeracy skillsen
dc.subjectmathematical languageen
dc.subjectspatial skillsen
dc.subjectpreschoolen
dc.titleExamining the Factor Structure of the Home Mathematics Environment to Delineate Its Role in Predicting Preschool Numeracy, Mathematical Language, and Spatial Skillsen
dc.title.serialFrontiers In Psychologyen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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