Mathematicians’ parental engagement in their children’s mathematics education: what can we learn from them?

Abstract Parental engagement in children’s mathematics education has been widely examined, often in contexts where parents report limited mathematical confidence or challenging prior mathematical experiences. Much less is known about parents with advanced disciplinary expertise such as mathematicians. This qualitative study adopts a narrative approach to examine how mathematician parents in two contrasting policy contexts, Slovenia and Ontario (Canada), understand and enact engagement in their children’s mathematics learning. Narrative interviews were conducted with 21 mathematician parents (13 Slovenian; 8 Canadian) and analyzed inductively through thematic analysis. Despite policy differences, a consistent pattern emerged across sites: parents reported limited engagement in school mathematics, especially homework, citing children’s responsibility, respect for teachers’ authority, and the tension of their dual role as parent and mathematician. In contrast, they described abundant, often spontaneous, everyday mathematical activities at home, including games, puzzles, measurement, and discussions that convey the practical, logical, and esthetic aspects of mathematics in daily life. This low-visibility yet pervasive presence, together with the nuanced portrayal of mathematician parental engagement, offers insight into alternative ways families may support children’s mathematical development and into how to balance the cultivation of mathematical appreciation with the promotion of academic independence. This article is part of a special issue titled “Parents, caregivers and community in mathematics education.” To see other articles in this issue, please select https://link.springer.com/collections/cibgdgbdfj .