Journal
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Volume 1510, Issue 1, Pages 132-144Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14722
Keywords
math learning; math anxiety; working memory; cognitive factors; developmental trajectories
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Funding
- Universita degli Studi di Trieste within the CRUI-CARE Agreement
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The study found that general anxiety has both direct and indirect effects on math performance in both third and fourth graders (mediated by working memory). Math anxiety has a direct effect on math performance in fourth graders, but only an indirect effect in third graders, indicating a developmental trajectory where math anxiety becomes stronger over time.
Mathematical skills are essential to mastering everyday activities, making professional choices, and exercising citizenship in a numerate society. There is extensive evidence of the relationship between math anxiety (MA) and working memory (WM) influencing math attainment. Studies have mainly considered adult samples, however, leaving primary school children almost unexplored. This study is a first attempt to examine how the complex interplay between MA and WM affects math achievement from a developmental perspective. A total of 148 third graders were assessed with WM, general anxiety (GA), MA, and math tasks. Anxiety and WM were assessed at the beginning of the school year when children started attending grade 3, while math achievement was tested twice at the start of grades 3 and 4. The findings seem to confirm that GA has both a direct and an indirect effect (mediated by WM) on math performance in third and fourth graders. MA has a direct effect on math performance in grade 4, but only an indirect effect in grade 3, suggesting MA has a developmental trajectory, becoming stronger over time. The implications in the educational setting are discussed, pointing to the importance of a combined intervention on MA and WM.
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