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Adding math talk to story time at home is a winning factor for children's math

achievement, according to a new research from a university. The study from psychologists

Sian Beilock and Susan Levine shows a marked increase in math achievement among

children whose families used Bedtime Math, an iPad app that delivers engaging math story

problems for parents and children to solve together.

Even children who used the app with their parents as little as once a week saw gains in

math achievement by the end of the school year. The app's effect was especially strong for

children whose parents tend to be anxious or uncomfortable with math.

Previous research from this group has demonstrated the importance of adults' attitudes

about math for children's math success. For example, a recent study found that

math-anxious parents who help their children with math homework actually weaken their

children's math achievement.

The new findings demonstrate that structured, positive interactions around math at

home can cut the link between parents' uneasiness about math and children's low math

achievement.

"Many people experience high levels of anxiety when they have to solve a math

problem, with a majority of adults feeling at least some worries about math," said Beilock,

professor in Psychology and author of Choke, a book about stress and performance. "These

math-anxious parents are probably less likely to talk about math at home, which affects

how competent their children are in math. Bedtime Math encourages a dialogue between

parents and kids about math, and offers a way to engage in high-quality math interactions in

a low-effort, high-impact way."

Study participants included 587 first-grade students and their parents. Families were

given an iPad installed with a version of the Bedtime Math app, with which parents and

their children read stories and answer questions involving math, including topics like

counting, shapes and problem-solving. A control group received a reading app that had

similar stories without the math content and questions related to reading comprehension

instead. Children's math achievement was assessed at the beginning and end of the school

year. Parents completed a questionnaire about their nervousness with math.

The more times parents and children in the math group used the app, the higher

children's achievement on a math assessment at the end of the school year. Indeed, children

who frequently used the math app with their parents outperformed similar students in the

reading group by almost three months in math achievement at year's end.

32. Bedtime Math is an iPad app that _ .

A. requires parents and children to answer reading comprehension questions

B. assesses children's math achievement and parents' nervousness with math

C. encourages children together with their parents to solve math story problems

D. teaches children how to count, recognize shapes and solve practical problems

33. The previous study found that____.

A. help from math-anxious parents improves children's math achievement

B. interactions around math at home will cut off the family relationship

C. children's math achievement is related to parents' attitude about math

D. children can achieve more success if they see the importance of math

34. We can infer from the passage that____.

A. it is the math problems related to the stories that make the great difference

B. children whose parents are uneasy about math are superior to other students

C. Parents using the app for three months can see gains in math achievement

D. the frequency of using the app has nothing to do with children's achievement

35. What does the author want to tell us?

A. High-anxiety parents influence children's attitude about math.

B. Frequent use of app can develop problem-solving ability.

C. Low-effort activities create good parent-child relationship.

D. High-quality math interactions improve children's performance.

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