Children’s Everyday Mathematical Experiences (EMEs) in Hong Kong Kindergarten Settings

Abstract

This photo was taken in a Hong Kong (HK) kindergarten classroom. Two five-year-old children were using their knowledge of comparison to playfully and spontaneously explore the different length of pencils while others were doing a worksheet. When I was a kindergarten teacher in HK, I often saw children exploring mathematics in an informal and playful manner. I term these experiences as everyday mathematical experiences (EMEs), and these are what I focused in my study. The settings for my study were HK kindergartens, where formal mathematics learning and teaching play a dominant role. Within such a serious atmosphere, how might there be opportunities for children’s informal and playful EMEs? Previous studies have suggested that EMEs may be beneficial to children’s activities and play in the moment as well as preparing children for formal education, and that the role of teacher is essential for encouraging and promoting EMEs in kindergartens. Although research on children’s learning has expanded over the past three to four decades, empirical studies in relation to early childhood mathematics are limited, especially in the context of HK. Therefore, my study aimed to investigate the nature and content of children’s EMEs in HK kindergarten settings, affordances and constraints that influence the availability of children’s EMEs, and teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding children’s EMEs. A qualitative approach of case study drawing on ethnographic techniques, framed by sociocultural theory, offered an in-depth understanding of children’s EMEs. Children and teachers from two kindergartens in HK were the main participants of my study. Three main data collection methods were used: classroom observations, individual semi-structured interviews with teachers, and documentation. A range of strategies, including data triangulation, enhanced the credibility and dependability of the study. Key themes from the findings were identified through data analysis procedures. The findings revealed that children’s EMEs in HK kindergartens showed four features in that they were exploratory, playful, informal, and spontaneous. Findings also showed the content of children’s EMEs. Children were capable of exploring and using a range of mathematical concepts and knowledge to construct EMEs. Additionally, the study found that diverse aspects of the physical environment, social environment, and classroom atmosphere in kindergartens both afforded and constrained children’s construction of EMEs in HK kindergarten settings. An unexpected finding was that teachers’ perceptions and practices, influenced by Chinese cultural beliefs, drove children to turn their EMEs into “underground” and hide from teachers in some situations. All these findings led to my argument that a deeper understanding of curriculum and the teacher’s role are needed to improve teachers’ responses to children’s EMEs in HK kindergarten settings. My study adds value to existing sociocultural research via the exploration of sociocultural factors that influenced children’s EMEs and relevant teachers’ perceptions and practices. It provides teachers with insights regarding how to enhance their values and practices in relation to EMEs so that they might align more closely with children’s exploratory, playful, informal, and spontaneous nature in mathematics learning. For policy makers, my study provides intellectual support to the establishment of curriculum documents and policies so that it is possible to empower children to construct EMEs with surrounding objects, peers, and teachers or adults in order to facilitate informal mathematics learning in kindergartens.