Children as mediators of home-school continuity in early mathematics: the case of Betta-the-Bee

Abstract

This paper examines how a mathematically rich card game, Betta-the-Bee, supported home-school continuity in early mathematics when it was first introduced in kindergarten and later taken home by children. The study was conducted in a public kindergarten in Turin, Italy, and adopted an exploratory case study design. Data came from three parent questionnaires, an online focus group with three parents, and a supporting interview with two teachers. The analysis focused on parents’ initial recognition of mathematics and mathematical play, on the home re-enactment of the game, and on the forms of continuity that emerged through that process. The study contributes to research on home-school continuity in mathematics by identifying children’s mediation of a rule-governed mathematical practice as a plausible mechanism through which continuity may be sustained across settings.