Parental Perceptions of Access to Capitals and Early Mathematical Learning: Some Early Insights from Numeracy@Home Project

This chapter illustrates the perceptions of a small community of parents from a disadvantaged area in Victoria, Australia, on what they think about their family access to resources (in the form of capitals) and the importance of early learning in preparation for formal schooling especially in relation to mathematical learning. A total of 23 parents responded to the Family Educational and Learning Questionnaire, which was administered individually as part of a pilot study for the Numeracy@Home project. The questionnaire surveyed parental perceptions of their children, their access to educational and learning resources and their views on what kind of early learning in mathematical concepts is essential to happen before schooling and who should be responsible for those learning. Two of the parents also voluntarily participated in interviews around their home engagement with their children. Findings indicate that parents in this study are aspirational and value early mathematical learning as key to their children’s success in schooling. Parents’engagement contributes to their children’s learning and the dynamic learning environment. Parents also advocate that early learning is a shared responsibility between educators and themselves in preparing children for formal schooling.