Home Numeracy, Socioeconomic Status, Mathematics Motivation, and Basic Numeracy in Island Primary Schools

Foundational numeracy may reflect both household learning opportunities and children's engagement with mathematics, yet evidence from geographically dispersed island communities remains limited. This study examined whether home numeracy environment and parental socioeconomic status were associated with basic numeracy performance through mathematics learning motivation among lower-primary pupils in Liang District, Banggai Kepulauan, Indonesia. A cross-sectional explanatory survey combined parent and pupil questionnaires with an objective basic-numeracy assessment for 167 pupil–parent pairs. Two regression equations estimated direct paths, and Sobel tests evaluated two indirect paths. Home numeracy environment showed a positive association with mathematics motivation (standardized β = 0.367, p < .001), whereas parental socioeconomic status did not (β = −0.132, p = .071). Neither home numeracy (β = 0.107, p = .207), socioeconomic status (β = −0.006, p = .944), nor motivation (β = 0.013, p = .874) was a statistically significant direct predictor of numeracy performance. The motivation model explained 14.3% of variance, but the numeracy model explained only 1.3%; neither Sobel test supported mediation. These findings distinguish household-associated mathematics motivation from measured numerical proficiency. Given the cross-sectional design, incomplete measurement diagnostics, and a significant reported deviation from linearity for one path, the associations should not be interpreted causally. Further research should assess classroom instruction, prior numeracy and context-sensitive home practices.