Associations longitudinales entre le soutien maternel à l’autonomie et la performance en mathématiques chez les enfants au primaire : analyses par courbes de croissance
Increasing evidence suggests that maternal autonomy support fosters academic achievement in children. However, despite evidence that mathematical achievement evolves markedly during elementary school years, no study has examined early autonomy support in relation to mathematical achievement trajectories. Moreover, few studies have considered the role of child general cognitive abilities in these associations. With a sample of 113 mother–child dyads, the current study investigated whether patterns of growth in mathematical achievement during the first three years of elementary school were predicted by the interaction between maternal autonomy support and child general cognitive abilities, both assessed in infancy. Maternal autonomy support was assessed based on videotaped mother–child interactions, whereas child general cognitive abilities and mathematical achievement were assessed using standardised tests. Results suggest that early maternal autonomy support predicts later mathematical development in children, although this relation unfolds differently based on children’s baseline cognitive abilities. These findings suggest that maternal autonomy support in the first years of life may confer long-lasting benefits for children’s acquisition of mathematical knowledge.
Autonomy support Mathematical skills Longitudinal design Growth curve modeling