Visual and Spatial Working Memory Abilities Predict Early Math Skills: A Longitudinal Study

Mathematical problem solving is regarded as the one of the important cognitive activities. Children are introduced with mathematical word problems that require reading and understanding in the first grade. Students have trouble with word problems in every level of education. For this reason, it is important to find the reasons for this issue in the first year of primary school. The purpose of this study is to find the relationship between mathematical problem solving with early math skills and reading comprehension. Specifically, the aim of this study is to determine which of these variables are most powerful in predicting mathematical problem solving performance. The panel research method as a type of longitudinal study was used in this study. The sample of this study consists of 185 first grades (66'84 month) students from a public elementary school in Istanbul. The measurement instruments are Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Expressive, reading comprehension questions and mathematics problem-solving questions. The final model implies that early math skills have direct effects on reading comprehension (Î²=.34) and mathematical problem solving (Î²=.45). Reading comprehension has a direct effect on mathematical problem solving (Î²=.27). However, this effect is smaller than the effect of early math skills.

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Longitudinal study of spatial working memory development in young children

Neuroreport ◽

10.1097/wnr.0b013e32832aa975 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 20 (8) ◽

pp. 759-763 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Takeo Tsujii ◽

Eriko Yamamoto ◽

Sayako Masuda ◽

Shigeru Watanabe

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Young Children ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Memory Development

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Working Memory and Number Sense as Predictors of Mathematical (Dis-)Ability

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000208 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 223 (2) ◽

pp. 102-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Evelyn H. Kroesbergen ◽

Marloes van Dijk

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Learning Disabilities ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Number Sense ◽

Mathematical Learning ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Mathematical Learning Disabilities ◽

Visual Spatial Working Memory ◽

And Mathematics

Recent research has pointed to two possible causes of mathematical (dis-)ability: working memory and number sense, although only few studies have compared the relations between working memory and mathematics and between number sense and mathematics. In this study, both constructs were studied in relation to mathematics in general, and to mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) in particular. The sample consisted of 154 children aged between 6 and 10 years, including 26 children with MLD. Children performing low on either number sense or visual-spatial working memory scored lower on math tests than children without such a weakness. Children with a double weakness scored the lowest. These results confirm the important role of both visual-spatial working memory and number sense in mathematical development.

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