Exploring Factors in the Social Ecology of the Home that Affect First-Grade Girls' Spatial Skills and Early Math Strategies

智力优势：在目前的研究中，来自波士顿学院应用发展和教育心理学项目的研究人员计划调查家庭环境在女孩空间推理技能形成中的作用，以及她们应用有效策略解决数学问题的能力。这种早期发展的主要环境为获得对后来的数学和科学很重要的空间技能提供了最初的构建块。然而，尽管关于家庭作为学习和发展的主要背景的实证和理论工作已经有很长的历史，但很少有研究探索这种环境对女孩早期空间和数学发展的重要性。有大量的研究表明，男性在空间推理能力上比女性有优势，这涉及到使用心理意象和操纵图像作为解决问题的一种方式的能力。这种性别差异早在4-6岁时就有记录，因此，在正式学校教育之前就存在。此外，尤其是对女孩来说，这些类型的空间推理能力与数学成绩有关。然而，对于家庭环境中可能支持女孩空间推理能力发展的因素，人们知之甚少。本研究旨在帮助理解早期家庭环境的变化与年轻女孩在学校的空间和数学表现之间的关系。这项研究有可能改变人们对女孩在数学和科学方面遇到的挑战的看法；早期干预发展女孩的空间推理能力有可能影响她们以后的数学技能和数学自信。学校空间和数学评估、家长访谈和家庭观察将对波士顿地区的一年级女孩进行。这项研究的中心目标是确定一般学习支持和数学和空间特定经验对年轻女孩的发展影响。作为这项工作的一个重要组成部分，将对生活在从贫穷到富裕的不同收入水平家庭中的女孩进行研究。女孩在家中经历的范围和发展影响可能会因家庭经济限制而有所不同。研究中涉及的问题包括：(1)年轻女孩的家庭环境的哪些因素可以预测她们的空间技能，以及她们用于解决数学问题的策略？(2)女孩空间技能是否在家庭环境与数学策略之间起到中介作用？(3)对于女孩来说，这些直接和间接（即中介）的关系是否因家庭经济地位的不同而有所不同？更广泛的影响：性别和数学的主要重点一直放在态度因素和增加女孩和妇女参与数学和科学的方法上，相对较少关注女孩的认知和学术技能。然而，如果女孩平均在入学之初就在发展特定的认知技能和策略方面处于劣势，这可能会导致她们后来在数学和科学方面遇到困难，并导致她们在学习STEM内容时缺乏自信和兴趣。这项研究有可能揭示关键的早期经历，使一些年轻女孩形成有效的空间推理技能，并将这些技能应用于数学问题的解决。了解这些影响将有助于未来努力提高数学入学准备，这样女孩就可以充分利用空间思维作为解决数学问题的工具。

Intellectual Merit: In the present study, researchers from the Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology program at Boston College plan to investigate the role of the home environment in the formation of girls' spatial reasoning skills, and their ability to apply effective strategies for solving math problems. This primary context for early development provides the initial building blocks for the acquisition of spatial skills important to later math and science. Yet, despite a long history of empirical and theoretical work on the home as a major context of learning and development, there have been few studies exploring the importance of this environment for girls' early spatial and math development. There is an extensive body of research showing that males have an advantage over females on spatial reasoning skills relating to the ability to use mental imagery and manipulation of images as a way of solving problems. This gender difference has been documented as early as ages 4-6, and thus, is present prior to formal schooling. Furthermore, for girls in particular, these types of spatial reasoning skills are linked to math performance. Yet, little is known about elements of the home environment that might support the growth of girls' spatial reasoning skills. This present study is designed to contribute to the understanding of how variations in early home environments link to young girls' spatial and math performance in school. This research has the potential to shift the perspective regarding later challenges that girls experience in math and science; intervening early to develop girls' spatial reasoning skills has potential to impact both their later math skills and their math self-confidence. School spatial and math assessments, parent interviews, and home observations will be conducted with first-grade girls in the Boston area. The central goal of the study is to identify the developmental consequences of both general learning supports and math- and spatial-specific experiences available to young girls in their homes. As an important component of this, girls living in families representing a range of income levels, from poor to affluent, will be studied. Both the range and developmental impact of girls' experiences in their homes will likely vary as a function of economic constraints on families. The questions addressed in the study include: (1) What elements of young girls' home environments predict their spatial skills, as well as the strategies they use for math problem solving? (2) Do girls' spatial skills mediate links between home environments and math strategies? (3) Do these direct and indirect (i.e., mediated) relationships differ for girls as a function of family economic status? Broader Impact : The major emphasis in gender and mathematics has been on attitudinal factors and on ways of increasing girls' and women's participation in math and science, with relatively less focus on girls' cognitive and academic skills. Yet, if girls on average start out in school with an early disadvantage in developing specific cognitive skills and strategies, this may contribute to later difficulties in mathematics and science, as well as engendering a lack of self-confidence and interest in approaching STEM content. This research has the potential to reveal critical early experiences that enable some young girls to form effective spatial reasoning skills and apply these skills to mathematics problem solving. Understanding these influences will help target future efforts to promote school readiness in mathematics, so that girls may take full advantage of spatial thinking as a tool for solving math problems.