Exploring the links between household chores, learning, and mathematics performance in Zambia

Resource type
Journal Article
Authors/contributors
Title
Exploring the links between household chores, learning, and mathematics performance in Zambia
Abstract
In Zambia, as well as many other African and non-Western cultures, the extent and kind of children’s chores may contribute to their learning, yet often also conflict with their schooling. In the moderation analysis we present in this manuscript, we aimed to explore the interactive effects of schooling and chores on children’s mathematics performance at different levels of math knowledge and computational skill, taking into account how the assessment questions were presented. The sample consisted of 1,535 children (719 girls) living in rural and peri-urban communities in Zambia who were administered the Zambia Achievement Test (ZAT). We categorized the 60 items of the ZAT by their targeted content knowledge, sizes of the numbers involved, and forms of representation. Our results showed that chores supported the development of very basic mathematics skills and knowledge in children who had less schooling, but also significantly lowered the performance of students who were in school once their school attendance rose above certain levels. Moreover, this interaction between chores and school attendance was observed predominantly in girls, with a lesser effect of chores on boys.
Publication
Current Psychology
Date
2022-05-03
Journal Abbr
Curr Psychol
Language
en
ISSN
1046-1310, 1936-4733
Accessed
04/09/2023, 17:27
Library Catalogue
DOI.org (Crossref)
Citation
Tan, M., Li, N., Pirozzolo, J. W., Bolden, D., Learning Disabilities Project, Chamvu, F., Jere-Folotiya, J., Kaani, B., Kalima, K., N’gandu, S. K., Serpell, R., Grigorenko, E. L., Hart, L., Chart, H., Jarvin, L., Kwiatkowski, J., Newman, T., Stemler, S. E., Thuma, P. E., … Grigorenko, E. L. (2022). Exploring the links between household chores, learning, and mathematics performance in Zambia. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03077-z
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