Abstract:

Under the guidance of Bourdieu’s family cultural capital theory, this study aims to investigate young children’s home experiences of learning mathematics and their family cultural capital. Research analysis focuses on the influences of family cultural capital on early mathematics learning. Questionnaire method, interviews method and literature research method are mainly adopted as study methods in this research. The study is conducted based on four self-developed questionnaires. Corroding to the Bourdieu’s family cultural capital theory, there are three states of family cultural capital, including “embodied state”, “objectified state” and “institutionalized form”. “Family Background Questionnaires” which including parents’ education background etc., is in order to investigate the institutionalized form of family cultural capital, “Home Cultural Environment Questionnaires” is designed to investigate the objectified state of it, and the “Parental Beliefs of Early Mathematic Learning and Teaching Questionnaires” is designed to investigate the embodied state of it. “Home Math Parent/Child Interaction Questionnaire” is designed to investigate young children’s home experiences of learning mathematics. There are 590 families of young children aged 4-6 years randomly select as samples from 8 different kindergartens in Shanghai. Multiple regression analysis is used to explore the correlation between variables of family cultural capital and young children’s mathematical learning experience at home, also the influence path between the two factors. It was found that family cultural capital which includes parental education, home cultural environment and parental beliefs of early mathematics learning and teaching has significant effect on children’s mathematical learning experience at home, and the effects of different variables are different. The results revealed that the home cultural environment as objectified state cultural capital and parental beliefs as embodied state are the straight forward and effective to children’s mathematical learning experience. Parental education as institutionalized form takes effect indirectly through home cultural environment and parental beliefs. Based on the research results, suggestions are proposed for teachers of early education, parents and future researchers. The results of this study have the potential to contribute to the field of early mathematics education by illuminating the relationship between family cultural capital and young children’s mathematical learning. Nevertheless, the results should be interpreted with caution, since only questionnaires were used in this study, and the sample groups should not be considered representative to the populations in either country.

Key words: Family cultural capital, Parental beliefs of early mathematic learning and teaching, Home cultural environment, Parental education, Mathematics learning

摘要：

本研究对来自上海市的590个中、大班幼儿家庭进行问卷调查，旨在了解家庭文化资本对幼儿数学学习的影响。结果表明：作为家庭客体化文化资本的家庭文化环境和作为家庭身体化文化资本的幼儿家长数学教导信念对幼儿的家庭数学学习经验有直接的影响作用；作为家庭制度化文化资本的家庭教育背景则通过家庭文化环境和幼儿家长的数学教导信念对幼儿家庭数学学习经验有间接的影响作用。

关键词: 家庭文化资本, 家长数学教导信念, 家庭文化环境, 家庭教育背景, 数学学习