Social Class and Racial Influences on Early Mathematical Thinking

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Abstract
Two studies investigated the associations of social class and race with early mathematical thinking. Study I compared poor black preschoolers with black and white middle-class children; Study II compared black and white children, lower and middle class, at both preschool and kindergarten levels, from single-parent and intact homes. In both studies, individual children were given an array of tasks measuring basic aspects of mathematical thought. The results show relatively few significant differences associated with social class or race. Sometimes improved methodology reduced or eliminated observed social class differences. The results relating to family status were complex: there was a suggestion that single-parent children in middle-class homes perform relatively poorly on some tasks, but family status does not seem to influence lower-class performance. There were major differences associated with developmental level. The results are interpreted as showing that early mathematical thought develops in a robust fashion regardless of social class and race. Implications for cognitive deficit theories-both environmentalist and nativist-are discussed.

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