Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education Policy, Planning, and Administration

Committee Chairperson

Matthew Kruger-Ross, PhD

Committee Member

Jacqueline G. Van Schooneveld, EdD

Committee Member

Brian Bowen, PhD

Abstract

This narrative photovoice study explored how elementary parents understand their role in supporting mathematics at home. The research asked three foundational questions: How do parents of elementary students describe their personal experiences with learning mathematics? How do parents of elementary students describe their experiences with supporting mathematics at home with their children? What factors influence parents' experiences with mathematics? Fourteen parents, eight with experience as educators and six without, participated by sharing photographs in response to five prompts and discussing what those images meant to them. Their stories revealed that, for these families, mathematics isn't neatly divided into “school math” and “home math,” but weaves throughout ordinary life. From the data, six themes emerged. Parents spoke of math as functional, emerging in cooking and financial decisions, preparing children for adulthood's autonomy. They described moments of discovery through play, where curiosity and spatial reasoning flourished without formal instruction. Yet parents felt the weight of homework, and the tension between the methods they learned and those teachers use. Participants emphasized cognitive work, perseverance, structured thinking, and growth as invisible foundations beneath skill acquisition. They recognized repeatedly that learning mathematics is fundamentally relational, shaped by encouragement and trust. Threading through everything was emotion: happiness with confidence, frustration with confusion, pride in progress. Parents carry their own histories as mathematics learners as they help their children. These histories shape what they attempt, avoid, and celebrate. The relationship between home and school, between parent understanding and teacher method, creates a constant negotiation that parents navigate with care and intention.

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