“When Will I Ever Need to Use This?” Math Learning and Home Engagement Across SES

Abstract

With an ever diversifying student body, standardized approaches to teaching are failing to meet the needs of all students, leading to persistent achievement gaps across the socioeconomic status (SES) spectrum. Lower-SES students face more barriers to success than higher-SES peers across subject areas, including math. Research on these disparities has highlighted the role of cultural mismatch in formal education, or a gap in the way educational content is engaged with at home versus at school. In some research, home math engagement patterns have been explored in regard to abstract versus practical orientations. This cultural mismatch is thought to present challenges to lower-SES students’ understanding that are unrelated to differences in knowledge. Culturally relevant pedagogy has arisen as a potential solution to this by promoting teaching that leverages students’ home cultures. Prior research has demonstrated the importance of student motivation and perception of relevance for math achievement outcomes. In a study with N = 93 6- and 7-year-olds, we investigated (1) whether aligning formal math instruction with the manner of home math engagement positively impacts learning and motivation, (2) whether home math engagement differs across SES, and (3) what the overall impacts of practical versus abstract math orientations are on student outcomes. Using a parental questionnaire and an instructional math intervention with second graders, we examined patterns of home math engagement and assessed participant outcomes under different instructional conditions. Results revealed that (1) alignment between formal learning and home math engagement did not significantly impact learning or motivation, (2) home math engagement was systematically linked with the nature of parents’ jobs, and (3) there was no significant advantage to practical versus abstract math orientations for learning or motivation. This study offers insight into equitable education practices.