Investigating Children's Mathematics Readiness

A sample of 244 children (average age: 61 months) and their parents from the Dallas and Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex area in Texas were surveyed to investigate children's mathematics readiness. This study was conducted as part of a project funded by a local child care council, composed of business, civic, and education leaders in the community. The study investigated children's mathematics readiness associated with demographic information (family income, race/ethnicity, and gender) and pre-kindergarten experiences. Major findings of this study were: 1) children from higher family incomes scored higher on mathematics readiness assessments than children from lower family incomes; 2) among four major ethnic groups of children, white children scored higher on mathematics readiness assessment than the other racial/ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, and Asian students); 3) children without pre-kindergarten experiences outperformed children who had pre-kindergarten experiences; and 4) there was no gender gap found in mathematics readiness scores.