Parents’ training in mathematics: A societal awareness study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to find out how the individually studying middle school students’ mathematics achievement differs from the students getting support from their parents. The study is designed as a mixed method study. The study is quantitative in terms of being quasi-experimental and it is also qualitative in terms of the instruments; such as, mathematics seminars for parents, parents’ written reflections, parent journals and interviews with parents. The quantitative data was analysed descriptively. The qualitative data was also analysed through descriptive and content analysis. Based on the findings, parents found the mathematics seminars both enjoyable and useful for both children and themselves. The findings indicate mostly positive effects of parent support during the 5th grade level mathematics; such as, productivity, being more careful, having interaction, doing with understanding. There is a 15 point difference between the average scores of the experiment and the control group students in favour of experiment group.