Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to Canada
Mathematics self-efficacy plays an important role in the performance of quantitative tasks. The objective of this study was to examine the role of mathematics self-efficacy in numeracy and health numeracy among immigrants (60 Mandarin-speaking and 60 Kikuyu-speaking immigrants to Canada) for whom En...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2014-02-01
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| Series: | SAGE Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014521437 |
| _version_ | 1818258005074903040 |
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| author | S. Gatobu J. F. Arocha L. Hoffman-Goetz |
| author_facet | S. Gatobu J. F. Arocha L. Hoffman-Goetz |
| author_sort | S. Gatobu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mathematics self-efficacy plays an important role in the performance of quantitative tasks. The objective of this study was to examine the role of mathematics self-efficacy in numeracy and health numeracy among immigrants (60 Mandarin-speaking and 60 Kikuyu-speaking immigrants to Canada) for whom English was a second language (ESL). Two French Kit numeracy tasks (the addition, and the addition and subtraction correction tasks) constituted objective measures of numeracy, and the numeracy component of a health literacy instrument (The Short Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults [S-TOFHLA]) constituted the health numeracy measure. We measured math self-efficacy using the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) and the Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS). All measures were presented in English. Kikuyu speakers had lower math self-efficacy ( p < .05) compared with Mandarin speakers ( p < .05). Mandarin speakers outperformed Kikuyu speakers in numeracy ( p < .001) and health numeracy ( p < .023) skills. In multiple regression analyses, 32% to 57 % of the variance in objective numeracy was explained by language, residency in Canada, and self-efficacy, adjusting for the other predictor variables; self-efficacy and format of numeric health information (numbers only vs. numbers with detailed text) consistently predicted health numeracy. Mathematics self-efficacy may be an important factor in numeracy, but not as important in health numeracy for Kikuyu- and Mandarin-speaking immigrants for whom English is a second language. Factors contributing to low numeracy may differ from those explaining low health numeracy in ESL immigrants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:52:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1def0e4338f24dc18f9297aa36a14454 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-2440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:52:40Z |
| publishDate | 2014-02-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-1def0e4338f24dc18f9297aa36a144542022-12-22T00:16:46ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402014-02-01410.1177/215824401452143710.1177_2158244014521437Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to CanadaS. Gatobu0J. F. Arocha1L. Hoffman-Goetz2University of Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaUniversity of Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaUniversity of Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaMathematics self-efficacy plays an important role in the performance of quantitative tasks. The objective of this study was to examine the role of mathematics self-efficacy in numeracy and health numeracy among immigrants (60 Mandarin-speaking and 60 Kikuyu-speaking immigrants to Canada) for whom English was a second language (ESL). Two French Kit numeracy tasks (the addition, and the addition and subtraction correction tasks) constituted objective measures of numeracy, and the numeracy component of a health literacy instrument (The Short Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults [S-TOFHLA]) constituted the health numeracy measure. We measured math self-efficacy using the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) and the Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS). All measures were presented in English. Kikuyu speakers had lower math self-efficacy ( p < .05) compared with Mandarin speakers ( p < .05). Mandarin speakers outperformed Kikuyu speakers in numeracy ( p < .001) and health numeracy ( p < .023) skills. In multiple regression analyses, 32% to 57 % of the variance in objective numeracy was explained by language, residency in Canada, and self-efficacy, adjusting for the other predictor variables; self-efficacy and format of numeric health information (numbers only vs. numbers with detailed text) consistently predicted health numeracy. Mathematics self-efficacy may be an important factor in numeracy, but not as important in health numeracy for Kikuyu- and Mandarin-speaking immigrants for whom English is a second language. Factors contributing to low numeracy may differ from those explaining low health numeracy in ESL immigrants.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014521437 |
| spellingShingle | S. Gatobu J. F. Arocha L. Hoffman-Goetz Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to Canada SAGE Open |
| title | Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to Canada |
| title_full | Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to Canada |
| title_fullStr | Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to Canada |
| title_short | Numeracy and Health Numeracy Among Chinese and Kenyan Immigrants to Canada |
| title_sort | numeracy and health numeracy among chinese and kenyan immigrants to canada |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014521437 |
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