The Relative Importance of Parental Numerical Opportunities, Prerequisite Knowledge and Parent Involvement as Predictors for Early Math Achievement in Young Children

This study explored the relative importance of the parent-child interaction focusing on
numerical cues as opportunity factor, the prerequisite knowledge as propensity factor and
the general parent involvement as distal factor in the prediction of early math achievement
in 31 children followed up from toddlerhood (24 months of age) till kindergarten (48
months of age). The opportunity-propensity model combines these three categories of
factors to predict later achievement. The study confirmed the positive linear relationship
between early math achievement and the environmental numeracy opportunities
provided by parents in kindergarten above the parental general involvement. In addition,
the results showed a predictive contribution of the opportunity-predictors in toddlers to
late math achievement in kindergarten. There was a quadratic opportunity prediction in
toddlerhood and a linear opportunity prediction in kindergarten. The implications of these
findings are discussed in terms of the opportunity-propensity model in the prediction of number sense in toddlers and in kindergarten.