Early mathematical experiences: Observing young black and white children's everyday activities

Jonathan R H Tudge; Fabienne Doucet

doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2004.01.007

Early mathematical experiences: Observing young black and white children's everyday activities

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Children's early mathematical experiences play an enormous role in the development of their understanding of mathematics, and serve as a foundation for their cognitive development. In this descriptive study, we observed the naturally occurring mathematical activities engaged in by thirty-nine 3-year-olds, equally divided by race/ethnicity and social class. We observed each child for 18 hours over the course of a single week, in such a way as to cover the equivalent of a complete day in its life. The children varied a good deal in the extent to which they were observed engaging in mathematical activities, but the variation was not explicable by race/ethnicity or class. For comparative purposes, we also report on the literacy-related activities in which the children were engaged.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	21-39
Number of pages	19
Journal	Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Volume	19
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2004.01.007
State	Published - 2004

Keywords

Ethnicity
Everyday activities
Literacy
Math
Social class

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Education
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Sociology and Political Science

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10.1016/j.ecresq.2004.01.007

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title = "Early mathematical experiences: Observing young black and white children's everyday activities",

abstract = "Children's early mathematical experiences play an enormous role in the development of their understanding of mathematics, and serve as a foundation for their cognitive development. In this descriptive study, we observed the naturally occurring mathematical activities engaged in by thirty-nine 3-year-olds, equally divided by race/ethnicity and social class. We observed each child for 18 hours over the course of a single week, in such a way as to cover the equivalent of a complete day in its life. The children varied a good deal in the extent to which they were observed engaging in mathematical activities, but the variation was not explicable by race/ethnicity or class. For comparative purposes, we also report on the literacy-related activities in which the children were engaged.",

keywords = "Ethnicity, Everyday activities, Literacy, Math, Social class",

author = "Tudge, {Jonathan R H} and Fabienne Doucet",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to express our deep appreciation to the children and family members who gave so generously of their time. We would like to thank Sarah Putnam and Judy Sidden, who collected all of the European American observational data, to Nicole Talley, who collected half of the African American observational data, and to Paula Heilbrun for her assistance with the first draft of this paper. We are also very grateful to the Human Environmental Sciences Foundation at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for their financial support (grant awarded to the first author) and to The Spencer Foundation (grant awarded to the first author; NAE/Spencer postdoctoral fellowship awarded to the second author). We are also very appreciative to Marion O{\textquoteright}Brien and Deborah Cassidy for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.",

year = "2004",

doi = "10.1016/j.ecresq.2004.01.007",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "19",

pages = "21--39",

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AU - Tudge, Jonathan R H

AU - Doucet, Fabienne

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to express our deep appreciation to the children and family members who gave so generously of their time. We would like to thank Sarah Putnam and Judy Sidden, who collected all of the European American observational data, to Nicole Talley, who collected half of the African American observational data, and to Paula Heilbrun for her assistance with the first draft of this paper. We are also very grateful to the Human Environmental Sciences Foundation at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for their financial support (grant awarded to the first author) and to The Spencer Foundation (grant awarded to the first author; NAE/Spencer postdoctoral fellowship awarded to the second author). We are also very appreciative to Marion O’Brien and Deborah Cassidy for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.

PY - 2004

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AB - Children's early mathematical experiences play an enormous role in the development of their understanding of mathematics, and serve as a foundation for their cognitive development. In this descriptive study, we observed the naturally occurring mathematical activities engaged in by thirty-nine 3-year-olds, equally divided by race/ethnicity and social class. We observed each child for 18 hours over the course of a single week, in such a way as to cover the equivalent of a complete day in its life. The children varied a good deal in the extent to which they were observed engaging in mathematical activities, but the variation was not explicable by race/ethnicity or class. For comparative purposes, we also report on the literacy-related activities in which the children were engaged.

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KW - Social class

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Early mathematical experiences: Observing young black and white children's everyday activities

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Keywords

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