Teachers' Attitudes Toward Government-Mandated Provincial Testing in Manitoba

Government-imposed testing has been introduced in Canada to establish benchmarks, improve accountability, and measure achievement consistently. In this study 133 teachers from urban and rural Manitoba completed surveys (a response rate of 34%) to ascertain their attitudes toward mandated testing. Results indicated that most teachers expressed negativity about exam use, but attitudinal differences were contingent on location and teacher involvement in implementation. Teachers reported using many preparation strategies, but only developing study skills correlated positively with grade 3 exam scores. The findings are discussed in terms of the efficacy of using mandated exams and identifying appropriate preparation strategies.Les évaluations imposées par le gouvernement ont été implantées au Canada dans le but d'établir des points de repère, d'accroître la responsabilisation et de mesurer la performance de façon constante et uniforme. Pendant ce projet de recherche, 133 enseignants des régions rurales et urbaines du Manitoba, soit 34% des personnes contactées, ont complété des enquêtes qui cherchaient à connaître leurs attitudes face aux évaluations mandatées. Les résultats indiquent que la plupart des enseignants éprouvent des sentiments négatifs face aux évaluations. Toutefois, les attitudes varient selon la région géographique et\ l'implication de l'enseignant dans la mise en œuvre des évaluations. Les enseignants ont indiqué qu'ils avaient recours à diverses stratégies pour préparer leurs élèves, mais seul le perfectionnement des techniques d'étude avait un rapport direct avec les résultats des examens de troisième année. La discussion des résultats porte sur l'efficacité des examens mandatés et sur l'identification des stratégies appropriées de préparation

Linking Quantities and Symbols in Early Numeracy Learning

What is the foundational knowledge that children rely on to provide meaning as they construct an exact symbolic number system? People and animals can quickly and accurately distinguish small exact quantities (i.e., 1 to 3). One possibility is that children’s ability to map small quantities to spoken number words supports their developing exact number system. To test this hypothesis, it is important to have valid and reliable measures of the efficiency of quantity-number word mapping. In the present study, we explored the reliability and validity of a measure for assessing the efficiency of mapping between small quantities and number words – speeded naming of quantity. Study 1 (N = 128) with 5- and 6-year-old children and Study 2 (N = 182) with 3- and 4-year-old children show that the speeded naming of quantities is a simple and reliable measure that is correlated with individual differences in children’s developing numeracy knowledge. This measure could provide a useful tool for testing comprehensive theories of how children develop their symbolic number representations

Formal and informal home learning activities in relation to children's early numeracy and literacy skills: The development of a home numeracy model

The purpose of this study was to propose and test a model of children's home numeracy experience based on Sénéchal and LeFevre's home literacy model (Child Development, 73 (2002) 445-460). Parents of 183 children starting kindergarten in the fall (median child age = 58. months) completed an early home learning experiences questionnaire. Most of the children whose parents completed the questionnaire were recruited for numeracy and literacy testing 1. year later (along with 32 children from the inner city). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to reduce survey items, and hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict the relation among parents' attitudes, academic expectations for their children, reports of formal and informal numeracy, and literacy home practices on children's test scores. Parental reports of formal home numeracy practices (e.g., practicing simple sums) predicted children's symbolic number system knowledge, whereas reports of informal exposure to games with numerical content (measured indirectly through parents' knowledge of children's games) predicted children's non-symbolic arithmetic, as did numeracy attitudes (e.g., parents' enjoyment of numeracy). The home literacy results replicated past findings; parental reports of formal literacy practices (e.g., helping their children to read words) predicted children's word reading, whereas reports of informal experiences (i.e., frequency of shared reading measured indirectly through parents' storybook knowledge) predicted children's vocabulary. These findings support a multifaceted model of children's early numeracy environment, with different types of early home experiences (formal and informal) predicting different numeracy outcomes

Optimizing the home numeracy environments of 3- to 6-year-old children in the USA and Canada

Many children in the USA and Canada have access to a wide range of experiences that can support their early numeracy development. Nevertheless, children’s early numeracy knowledge varies considerably in these countries as a function of parents’ education, socioeconomic conditions, parents’ attitudes, beliefs, knowledge about mathematics, and preschool and school educators’ knowledge and experience. In this chapter we provide a selective overview of some of the factors that are related to children’s early numeracy experiences and suggest contexts and circumstances that may facilitate or hinder children’s learning. Parents’ provision of formal and informal opportunities that allow their children to experience number, space, and related concepts and their willingness to engage in meaningful activities may all influence the quality of children’s early experiences. We conclude with suggestions for further research to explore ways in which adults can enhance the home numeracy environments of preschool children

The Role of Child Interests and Collaborative Parent-Child Interactions in Fostering Numeracy and Literacy Development in Canadian Homes

Children's involvement in home literacy and numeracy activities has been linked to school achievement, but the subtleties in the home environment responsible for these gains have yet to be thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine how children's interests and collaborative parent-child interactions affect exposure to home literacy and numeracy activities. Parents of 170 four-to-five year old children completed a survey about their child's home learning environment. They rated their children's interests in 14 activities, and the extent of parent-child collaboration on a cooking and card-making task. Follow up interviews were also initiated with four mothers to provide validation of the survey data in numeracy. Factor analyses reduced the number of survey items. Parents whose children preferred exploratory, active or crafts activities reported frequent engagement in literacy and numeracy activities. Parents seeking a collaborative approach during activities reported increased exposure to home literacy and numeracy activities than families with less collaborative involvement. Interview data confirmed that parents of children with high numeracy scores were exposing their children to rich numeracy activities during play. The findings suggest that children's interests and collaborative parent-child involvement impact literacy and numeracy exposure in the home

Do home numeracy and literacy practices of Greek and Canadian parents predict the numeracy skills of kindergarten children?

Children's experiences with early numeracy and literacy activities are a likely source of individual differences in their preparation for academic learning in school. What factors predict differences in children's experiences? We hypothesised that relations between parents' practices and children's numeracy skills would mediate the relations between numeracy skills and parents' education, attitudes and expectations. Parents of Greek (N = 100) and Canadian (N = 104) five-year-old children completed a survey about parents' home practices, academic expectations and attitudes; their children were tested on two numeracy measures (i.e., KeyMath-Revised Numeration and next number generation). Greek parents reported numeracy and literacy activities less frequently than Canadian parents; however, the frequency of home numeracy activities that involved direct experiences with numbers or mathematical content (e.g., learning simple sums, mental math) was related to children's numeracy skills in both countries. For Greek children, home literacy experiences (i.e., storybook exposure) also predicted numeracy outcomes. The mediation model was supported for Greek children, but for Canadian children, the parent factors had both direct and mediated relations with home practices