Early mathematical experiences of mathematicians and their parental involvement in their children's mathematics education

The doctoral dissertation deals with parental involvement in children's mathematics education. The theoretical part provides an overview of previous research findings on the parents' impact on various aspects of children's mathematics education, presents the importance of parents' early mathematical experiences and the connection between parents' mathematical experiences and parental involvement in children's mathematics education. Furthermore, the aspect of parental scaffolding in the context of a child's mathematics development is considered.;The empirical part presents qualitative research where narrative aproach was applied to gain an in-depth insight into early mathematical experiences and parental involvement in children's mathematics education of special group of parents, i.e. parents who are mathematicians (have a PhD in mathematics). Research involved mathematicians from countries with different parental involvement encouragement policies: Slovenia and Canada. The research aimed to highlight the view of mathematicians' parental involvement also through experiences of a child whose both parents are mathematicians and to compare parental involvement of mathematicians and parents who are not mathematicians.;The study showed that the previous mathematical experiences of mathematicians were mainly positive and indicated factors that distinguish early mathematical experiences of mathematicians and those of parents who are not mathematicians. The study perceived parental involvement in the children's' mathematics education at two levels: parental involvement in children's school mathematics and parental involvement in activities, which are not directly related to school mathematics. The main finding of the research indicates mathematicians' restrained attitude regarding involvement in their children's school mathematics; that is mostly reflected through their rare participation in children's homework and in other children's obligations related to school mathematics. Compared with them, the parents who are not mathematicians appear to be often involved in their children's school mathematics education. Findings regarding parental involvement in activities that are not directly related to school mathematics indicated great advantage of parents who are mathematicians. The research suggests that mathematicians' parental involvement in their children's mathematics education is not limited with frames of mathematics curriculum. In their involvement awareness of parental scaffolding was perceived. Research findings also suggest that mathematicians, through direct activities as well as indirectly with their lifestyle, appear to transmit to their children awareness of functional, logical and aesthetic values of mathematics. Findings regarding the child's perspective substantiated findings of our research on mathematicians' parental involvement and as well indicated that a child, who grows up in a family where mathematics is an integral part of everyday life, may occasionally perceive connection of all things in the environment with mathematics, as annoying.