Socio-Economic and Cultural Context in the Development of Early Mathematical Competencies: A Comparative Study of Specific Educational Contexts in Chile and Spain

Abstract

This research presents the findings of a comparative study of mathematical competence among 130 students ( M = 54.08 months; SD = 2.57) from vulnerable school contexts in Chile and the Spanish public school system. The study analyses a set of general and specific domain precursors for which evidence of socioeconomic background exists. Using multivariate regression and discriminant analysis techniques, we calculated similarities and differences between groups by comparing these precursors. Significant differences were found between the Spanish and Chilean groups ( p < .05); however, no differences were observed in non-symbolic comparison and receptive vocabulary. Possible reasons for the existence and extent of these differences are discussed in terms of socio-cultural and educational contexts.