Boosting Parent-Child Math Engagement and Preschool Children’s Math Skills: Evidence from an RCT with Low-Income Families

46 Pages Posted: 31 Mar 2023 Last revised: 17 Apr 2023

See all articles by Susan Mayer

Susan Mayer

University of Chicago

Ariel Kalil

University of Chicago

William Delgado

University of Chicago

Haoxuan Liu

The University of Chicago

Derek Rury

University of Chicago

Rohen Shah

University of Chicago

Date Written: March 30, 2023

Abstract

Math skill in early childhood is a key predictor of future academic achievement. Parental engagement in math learning contributes to the growth of children's math skills during this period. To help boost parent-child engagement in math activities and children's math skills, we conducted an RCT lasting 12 weeks with 758 low-income preschoolers and their primary caregivers. Parents were randomized into five groups: 1) a control group, and groups that received 2) a digital tablet with math apps for children; 3) analog math materials for parents to use with children, 4) analog math materials with weekly text messages to manage parents' present bias; and 5) analog math materials with weekly text messages to increase parents' growth mindset. Relative to the control group, neither the analog math materials alone nor the analog materials with growth mindset messages increased child math skills during the intervention period. However, the analog math materials combined with messaging to manage present bias and the digital tablet with math apps increased child math skills by about 0.20 standard deviations (p=.10) measured six months after the intervention. These two treatments also increased parents' self-reported time engaged in math activities with their children.

Keywords: Economics of Education, Behavioral Economics, Early Childhood Development, Randomized Controlled Trail, Math Skills, Inequality

JEL Classification: I24, I26, I29

Suggested Citation

Mayer, Susan and Kalil, Ariel and Delgado, William and Liu, Haoxuan and Rury, Derek and Shah, Rohen, Boosting Parent-Child Math Engagement and Preschool Children’s Math Skills: Evidence from an RCT with Low-Income Families (March 30, 2023). University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2023-48, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4405171 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4405171

Susan Mayer

University of Chicago ( email )

1101 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Ariel Kalil (Contact Author)

University of Chicago ( email )

1101 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

William Delgado

University of Chicago ( email )

1101 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Haoxuan Liu

The University of Chicago ( email )

1101 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Derek Rury

University of Chicago ( email )

1101 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Rohen Shah

University of Chicago ( email )

1101 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

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