This project testing a theoretical model of child development that examines the relation of a preschool teacher intervention to children's mathematics learning. Specifically, the project investigates a two-step causal model that examines one aspect of children's school readiness skills "mastery motivation" as a mediating variable of teacher practice to children's mathematics learning. Mastery motivation is a child's independent persistence to accomplish moderately challenging tasks, which has been found to be both a key individual difference variable and a malleable factor. The project's central hypothesis is that a teacher professional development intervention that (1) shows teachers how to pose challenging mathematics activities; (2) supports teachers in scaffolding mastery motivation (persistence); and (3) changes teachers' beliefs about learning will influence children's mastery motivation and mathematics learning. The sample includes approximately 60 preschool teachers and 600 low-income children in Head Start centers. The study contributes to knowledge about the malleable classroom factors that influence at-risk preschool children's readiness to engage successfully in elementary mathematics as articulated in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM).
The CCSSM define a challenging set of expectations for elementary students. The Content Standards delineate for each grade the mathematical content students are expected to know and understand. The Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) are quite different, addressing the mathematical thinking and habits of mind that children should develop across content areas and across grade levels. SMP1 directly relates to mastery motivation: to make sense of problems and to persevere in solving them. However, meeting the increased expectations of the CCSSM will be particularly difficult for children who enter kindergarten underprepared. Research has shown that early mathematics understanding significantly predicts school achievement, and children from low-income backgrounds achieve at a much lower level than others. Understanding that mastery motivation, or the ability to persist at challenging tasks, is a habit of mind emphasized by CCSSM and a key school readiness skill may encourage teachers to adapt their instructional practices to promote this aspect of children's development.
Typically, preschool teachers do not teach mathematics and often feel uncomfortable with how to do so in a developmentally appropriate way. By showing teachers how to play challenging mathematics games with children and giving teachers skills to scaffold persistence, this project provides support for teaching mathematics in a fun, appropriate, and challenging way. The games are adapted from the kindergarten activities in the Think Math!©2008 elementary mathematics curriculum developed at EDC and engage children in problem-solving, puzzling, and discussing strategies as they play. This work expands the research foundation in STEM learning, integrating two theoretical frameworks from developmental psychology: mastery motivation and beliefs about learning into mathematics education research. Understanding the malleable factors that influence children's learning is important for practitioners and policymakers who are considering ways to help at-risk preschoolers' mathematics development.
While this study investigates mastery motivation as a foundation for mathematics learning, mastery motivation is also related to general academic and school success indicators; therefore, the results are of even broader interest in the field. Moreover, the results may suggest that interventions that enhance instructional practices in preschool would be an important line of investigation, could be of particular value in closing the school readiness gap for low-income children, and better prepare all children to meet the increased expectations of the CCSSM.
