Polish parents and mathematics education in Swedish preschools
Dorota LembrérFaculty of Education, Bergen University College, Bergen, Norway, dorota.lembrer@telia.com
This paper describes an empirical study of immigrant parents’ views on mathematics education in preschool, specifically Polish parents who now reside in Sweden. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey. The results show that the parents to a large extent see similar frequency of mathematical activities occurring at preschool and at home. In alignment with the Swedish preschool curriculum, parents viewed learning as being connected to play and reported that the children were involved in collaboration when learning through play. Swedish preschools’ institutional norms and values seemed to have been absorbed into parents’ ideas about learning through play. For example, parents identified doing counting activities at home with their children as a form of playing. The findings suggest that parents, like children, can be socialized into the norms and values of Swedish preschools through their children´s attendance.
Keywords: immigration, mathematics, parents, preschool, socialization.
Introduction
Mathematics education, as a part of everyday life, is embedded within a variety of settings, both outside and inside institutions, such as schools and preschools. Swedish preschool is considered to be framed by its institutional norms and values, which affect the possibilities for childhood (James, Jenks, & Prout, 1998). Within culturally diverse societies, perspectives on education provide an understanding of some of the meanings found in society. For example, parents’ perspectives can provide information about how they view their children´s mathematical learning in a new country of residence as contributing to society. Children’s socialisation through mathematics is connected to institutional and parental views and provide valuable insights into preschool systems or activities. Participation in preschool activities affects immigrant parents´ and children´s possibilities to be integrated into a country´s societal norms and values. With an increase in immigration, there can be challenges around gaining the active participation of parents into the education system of the new countries of residents. Nevertheless, it has been found that when refugee and immigrant parents are included into the education systems that their children attend, there are academic benefits for the children (Krasteva, 2013). From this perspective, the opportunities offered by institutional settings and arrangements focus on integrating immigrants into the “normal” Swedish society. However,in dialogue with immigrant parents, educational institutions such as preschools can be increasingly influenced by multiple perspectives linked to perceptions of mathematics education which can contribute to institutional and societal changes. Early childhood mathematics education is a product of historical development and so is itself open for changes as society’s change. Therefore I consider socialization and mathematics education (Lembrér, 2015), to be important components in an investigation of parents´ engagement with preschool in Sweden. Thus, the aim of this paper is to provide insights into Polish immigrant parents’ views about mathematics in Swedish preschools.
Socialization in to Swedish preschool
The theoretical framework for this study draws on work theorising socialisation in childhood. From this perspective, the production and reproduction of cultural knowledge are important components of socialisation (James et.al., 1998; Lembrér, 2015). Societal expectations situate children’s as needing to acquire cultural knowledge to be members of the society (becoming) or to be considered knowledgeable participants (being). Ebrahim (2011) stressed that social interactions should be seen as contributing to the production and reproduction of rules and structures within a society. From this perspective, parents’ views of mathematics in preschool can lead to a broader understanding of childhood and the adulthood that children are progressing towards (Qvortrup, 1994).
The Swedish preschool curriculum (Skolverket, 2016) exemplifies the tensions between the institutional norms and values of children´s being and becoming (Lembrer & Meaney, 2015). Parents can influence their children’s socialisation processes, both being and becoming, if they have an active role in preschools´ educating of their chidlren. However, the socialization processes of both immigrant parents and children can constrain possibilities for them to be seen as active participants, engaging in a process of change and alteration both of themselves and their new society. Consequently in this paper, Polish immigrant parents’ views about mathematics in Swedish preschools are examine in terms of socialization to understand how their own experiences of mathematics education acquired before immigration, and the process of socialization of their children and themselves into Swedish preschools are constructed.
Language, immigrant parents and mathematics education
In recent years, research has commonly studied various groups, leading to a focus on between-group differences (e.g. Fibbi & Truong, 2015). For example, a study by Giovannini and Vezzali (2011) focused on investigating whether and how contact between teachers and immigrant parents affected children within educational settings, such as elementary schools. By identifying parents´ views of their role in children’s learning of mathematics, it was possible to recognise the role played by the institution in determining the boundaries of the parents´ role. Teachers´ positive attitudes towards parents improved relationships within the school (Giovannini & Vezzali, 2011). In Goodall and Montgomery´s (2014) study, parents’ reflective involvement in their relationship with preschools or schools strengthened the agency of partners through an acknowledgement of their contribution to children´s learning.
However, external influences on the relationship between parents and preschool staff can affect the role that parents may have. Studies, such as Civil, Bratton and Quintos (2005) suggest that institutional power relations connected to the dominate language have an important impact on children’s interest in identifying with their home language and this affects what is provided as mathematical learning opportunities. In Australia, Díaz’s (2003) reported that the English language is more prominent and powerful in relationship to other languages. As a result of limited provision of home language in early childhood education, Díaz raised issues about bilingual children’s experiences of negotiating identity. She suggested that in preschool, children negotiate social and cultural identity, using all the resources of norms, values, culture and language with which they come in contact, including the recognition of identity and common origin or shared characteristics
with another person or group. The prominence given to the English language and the lack of recognition of shared identity with others is likely to affect children´s identity formation and parental involvement in preschools.
Parental perspectives on mathematics education can provide knowledge about the diversity of childhood and how bilingual children’s agency could be broadened (see for example, Hawighorst, 2005). As Kaur (2010, p. 53) suggested, “creating strong links between families and early childhood settings extends children’s learning, fosters a sense of community and acknowledges the expertise of families”. Therefore, strong links between home and preschool can provide children with enhanced skills to extend their understanding of the wider world from an early age. Similarly parents’ views can enable preschool teachers to move away from fixed notions about cultural groups as being homogeneous (Díaz, 2003), and provide opportunities to incorporate aspects of mathematics education practices from children´s home experiences. It has long been known that children acquire the understanding, skills and awareness of different mathematical concepts, developed in the course of their experiences outside educational institutions (see for example, Brenner, 1998). When it comes to pedagogical practices in preschool, children’s own experiences can be the basis for developing their mathematical thinking (Lembrér & Meaney, 2015).
Research with immigrant parents on their perceptions of learning and teaching of mathematics, stresses the need for communication with parents. As Civil and colleagues (Civil, et. al., 2005; Civil, 2016) show, differences in schooling (approaches to doing mathematics) and in language influence parents’ views of and reaction to school practices related to their children’s mathematics education in their new country of origin. Parents bring with them different ways to view mathematics or to do mathematics with their children at home, which are often unknown to the school. Similarly school mathematics practices may be unknown to immigrant parents. Civil et al. (2005) suggest that schools need to identify the different kinds of mathematics that immigrant children bring with them and to use this knowledge as a resource for learning. The varieties of experiences, related to different languages, need to be recognised in relationship to bilingual children and parents being socialised into Swedish societal norms and values. In this way, the socialization process of producting and reproducing norms and values can include parents’ perspectives on learning mathematics in preschools.
Method
The data were collected through a digital survey, consisting of 16 questions. 31 participants were identified through a snowballing approach (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2000). First a Polish organization and an internet forum for Polish citizen living in Sweden were used to provide a link to the anonymous online questionnaire. People who completed the digital survey were then asked to make others, friends and relatives, aware of it. A. All participants had a Polish linguistic and cultural background and were immigrants to Sweden, had children who had previously attended preschool in Poland and/or in Sweden. At time of the survey, the parents had been living in Sweden for a period of between 2 and 19 years. 31 participants responded to the survey (1 male, 30 females), aged between 22 and 47 years. Participants were given identified as: P1–P31.
The survey’s questions were divided in three parts. The first part consisted of demographic information: gender; age; number of years living in Sweden; if participants’ children attended preschool in Sweden (30–did, 1–didn’t); and if participants themselves had attended preschools in Poland (23–did, 8–didn’t). In the second set of questions, participants were asked to describe their experiences of learning mathematics, including their experiences of learning mathematics in preschools in Poland (Question 6). Question 7 asked about the experiences of both themselves and their children. Questions 8 and 9 were about participants´ views of situations in which children could learn mathematics at home and at preschool in Sweden. The following question (Question 10) was about possible mathematical situations, in Polish preschools. However, only one participant had children attending preschool in Poland and so this data were excluded from the analysis.
The third part used multiple-choice questions (Questions 11 & 12) to investigate parents´ perspectives of mathematics activities. Five suggestions were made of activities that could occur at preschool and at home. These were based on what had been found in previous research. Analysis of observation, in home and outside home settings, indicated that parents incorporate numbers into their children’s everyday routines in a variety of ways (Aubrey, Bottle, & Godfrey, 2003). Common activities shared between parents and children were counting snacks, reading, number games and building toys, were considered as opportunities for learning mathematics. Therefore, the tasks chosen for the survey were: counting rhymes; jigsaw puzzles; counting things; playing with sand and water; and building with blocks.
Participants were also asked to express what was important for them based on their own experiences (Questions 6, 13 & 16) and to describe the importance they attached to their children learning language and mathematics (Questions 14 & 15). The last question was open-ended and provided parents with a possibility to share something about their children´s learning of mathematics with teachers in preschools.
Analysis using the concept of being and becoming
Two analyses were done. The initial, statistical analysis identified parents’ views about mathematics activities at home and at preschool. The second qualitative analysis used the socialisation concepts of being and becoming, to understand parents´ views about mathematics in preschool. Being and becoming indicate how children are situated by societal expectations of children acquiring the skills needed to be members of society or as knowledgeable participants in preschools. These analytical concepts were used in a previous study by Lembrér and Meaney (2015), which provided insight into children’s, teacher’s and researcher’s perceptions of children as being and becoming mathematicians.
Quantitative analysis
Figure 1 shows which activities been chosen by parents as being present at home and at preschool (questions 11 and 12). In most cases, parents considered that what they did with children at home was the same as they expected children to do at preschool. For example, Activity C: counting
things, was something that parents considered children should do at preschool and home,
perspective the children were gaining shared characteristics in the types of activities they should participate in at home and at preschool. Díaz (2003) highlighted that importance of a common origin or shared characteristics with another person or group.
Figure 1: Frequency of home or preschool activities differentiated for the variables; A: counting rhymes; B: jigsaw puzzles; C: counting things; D: playing with sand and water; E: building with
blocks.
The only significant difference between perceptions of what should be done in the preschool and home was for activity D: playing with sand and water. Parents did not chose this an activity, they would engage with at home with their children, maybe because they did not have the facilities for these experiences at home. Similarly, none of the participants, when they responded to question 16 about describing their own ideas about how and when children learn mathematics, suggested playing with sand and water.
Qualitative analysis
In this section, I describe the parents´ views of mathematics and relate these to their expectations of Swedish preschools. The parents’ background experiences were evident in some of their comments. For example, P11 referred to her own experiences in the context of Polish preschool.
P11: They attended (her children), learnt exactly the same ways as I did in their age. Her perception was that Polish preschools had not changed in the generation since she had attended preschool.
In the Swedish preschool curriculum (Skolverket, 2016) four goals are related to mathematics: one is connected to content; while three require preschools to provide opportunities for children to develop mathematics skills, abilities and concepts. The children were perceived as having and using their own interests and experiences when acquiring mathematical knowledge and skills.
P21: It seems to me that the Swedish preschool have a big focus on mathematics. There is always enough mathematical activities, children usually have access to lots of toys/games which also are developing their mathematical skills.
P21 connected play implicitly to the toys and materials, available in the preschool. The Swedish preschool Curriculum (Skolverket, 2016) indicates that play and enjoyment in learning, stimulates
the imagination, insight, communication and the ability to think symbolically, as well as develop cooperation and problem solving skills. P28 made reference to how everyday situations could support children´s curiosity.
P28: Children learn through play with toys and friends in everyday situations, children should be allowed to use their curiosity and discover new things so they can learn easier.
A particular aspect of play that parents highlighted was that children could make their own decisions. P13 expressed she valued this aspect of Swedish preschools.
P13: I like it here (in Sweden), that children have a lot of freedom in choosing and directing their play activities.
Responses such as these indicate that children were seen as “being” humans who already had the skills and interests to make decisions about their own lives.
Parents´ views of how children should learn mathematics through play was strongly in alignment with the Swedish preschool curriculum. Parents mentioned play explicitly as an approach which was beneficial for learning generally, including the learning of mathematics.
P29: In preschool, play is the main form of learning. Children are enthusiastic and learn about the world around them through play. They should receive many interesting incentives in order to actively gain knowledge about the world in general, as well the mathematical world.
In responding to the open-ended question, the parents highlighted the importance of mathematics in everyday activities, such as: counting things; classifying objects; doing arithmetic; recognising numerical symbols; building with Duplo. P30 reported that children gained a better understanding of mathematics while playing, but in the following quote indicated that counting was equated with mathematics. The view that mathematics for young children is counting would affect how they could be considered as being and becoming mathematicians through their socialisation at preschool and at home.
P30: Through play children learn to count and get to know the numbers. I think that play is a good way to learn mathematics.
P11 referred to everyday activities and emphasizing the value of learning mathematical terms and problem solving.
P11: Learning mathematics, vocabulary and mathematical concepts is necessary for children. They develop their abstract thinking, analysing, reasoning and decision-making processes.
In her response, P11 situates children as becoming mathematicians in that she emphasises what they need to learn, and why that is important. Participants acknowledged children’s being and becoming as simultaneously occurring in the possibilities available in Swedish preschools. By promoting children’s possibilities to make decisions, the institutional settings affect the learning opportunities that they have available. On the one hand, the freedom to make their own choices while playing can
be connected to children’s being. On the other hand, parents’ expectations are to stimulate their children by offering activities, which introduce children to, for example, mathematical terms. Within this perspective, socialisation appear as a process of creating and recreating knowledge. A transmission of cultural knowledge such as that to do with counting can be connected to parents´ perceptions of what mathematics is for young children and what they are capable of doing (James et al., 1998).
Their experiences, from their children attending Swedish preschool, seemed to have shaped parents´ views about mathematics activities, it is specially marked by the reference to experiences transferred from the preschool into the home.
P2: Children learn basic shapes while playing. Shapes are used in different situations and aspects. My child comes home and continues asking us about different shapes "which is a shape of"? (in relation to various everyday objects).
It becomes clear that this parent´s views are related to her child´s experiences from preschool and this affects what she considers to be mathematics and how it is learnt. P2 indicated that her child’s contact with Swedish preschool, contributed to her current thinking about mathematics education for young children. Knowledge about mathematics is created and recreated at home as a consequence of experiences that children have in preschools and this affects the socialisation that these young children receive across contexts.
Conclusion
In this paper, I have presented the views of Polish immigrant parents, which illustrates how they are being socialized into Swedish preschool´s values and attitudes through their children. The analysis is related to what the parents highlighted from the pedagogical activities with children, the Swedish preschool as an institutional arena and preschool curriculums goals. A quantitative analysis showed similar frequencies of perceptions of five activities occur at preschool and at home. Similarly, in alignment with the Swedish preschool curriculum, the parents emphasised that young children’s engagement in mathematical tasks in preschools should focus on learning through play. It would, therefore, seem that parents perceptions are shaped by the values and norms of the Swedish preschool, as they experienced them through their children.
The socialisation processes in a society can guide the educational process in which both children and parents adopt the cultural norms and values of the society in their present country of residence. Parents become learners of educational and pedagogical practices by using their own experiences from the past to recognize and work towards an understanding of the present. However, socialisation is a complex, dynamic process with range of interconnected aspects operating simultaneously. Therefore, more research is needed to understand the complexity of this process. References
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