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Background: Parents' high academic expectations are positively associated with young children's mathematical abilities. However, minimal attention has been devoted to whether, and how, different ways of conveying the performance targets would result in different outcomes. Aims: The current study investigated whether and how parents' perfectionistic strivings and concerns were associated with young children's mathematical abilities through home mathematical activities, children's approach motivation to learn mathematics, and children's avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Sample: Participants included 211 kindergarteners in Hong Kong and their parents. Methods: Data were collected through individual child tests and parent questionnaires. Results: Structural equation modelling revealed that parents' perfectionistic strivings had a direct positive link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via home mathematical activities, and then approach motivation. Parents' perfectionistic concerns had a direct negative link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Conclusions: Early childhood practitioners are recommended to raise parents' awareness of how to communicate high‐performance targets to children in a constructive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fear of failure stops students from thinking logically and processing information in mathematics. Creating an appropriate classroom climate based on every student's ability is crucial to overcoming the prejudices associated with mathematics. In this regard, this study aims to create the best classroom climate approach that will increase interest in mathematics and ensure academic success. For this purpose, mathematicians' views on the classroom climate approach and how they create them were discussed by using qualitative techniques. It was considered that teachers participating in this research are working in 9th grade in state high schools affiliated with the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus Ministry of Education, accepting students through examination. The researchers collected teacher views through a semistructured interview form and analyzed them using context analysis. The findings showed that teachers were in a hurry to teach and generally paid attention to creating a comfortable classroom climate in which students could express their thoughts and opinions. This situation also revealed a lack of adequate classroom climate approach skills among teachers. Therefore, the classroom climate approaches discussed in this study are expected to make a significant contribution to this field by offering solutions to teachers in creating a supportive classroom climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our mathematical thinking sheds light on how we see our world and what knowledge we have about it. In spite of this, mathematical performance is still mostly measured in calculation skills, and this also predestines the success of learning. So at school, what is important is how correctly we solved the task and not the way we got there. An internationally unique Hungarian-developed test (DPV—Pedagogical Examination of Dyscalculia/Diszkalkulia Pedagógiai Vizsgálata) draws our attention to the opposite of this. The special feature of the test is its criterion orientation, which emphasizes the correctness of mathematical thinking while examining the abilities necessary for learning mathematics. The aim of our study was to investigate, as a function of background variables (gender and socioeconomic status (SES)), (1) whether the abilities and thought processes required for learning mathematics function at an adequate level, (2) what effect these may have on mathematical performance, and (3) to what extent all of this is influenced by mathematical anxiety. Our background variables were gender and socioeconomic status. A total of 999 Hungarian students aged 10–15 participated in our study, including 483 boys and 516 girls. In general, we can say that the development of the skills necessary for learning mathematics is closely related to the students' performance. Nevertheless, it happens that we encounter low performance despite good skills. In several cases, we can experience the presence of anxiety, especially math anxiety, which in most cases, regardless of the level of abilities, negatively affects the success of math learning processes. The findings confirm that socioeconomic status, gender, and performance are risk factors for mathematical anxiety. The following hypotheses have been formulated along the lines of the research objectives set out in the abstract: There are no differences in ability and mathematical performance between boys and girls. Girls are more anxious when they have to solve a mathematical problem. Socioeconomic status predicts ability level and the presence of math anxiety. Mathematical anxiety (MA) modifies the validity of mathematical ability (DPV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze self-efficacy's effect on students' learning outcomes in class VII MTsn 01 Pasuruan. This research is a type of descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The main instruments in this study were researchers, and their supporting instruments were diagnostic tests, self-efficacy questionnaires, assignments, and interview guidelines. The subjects in the study were all students of class VII-A MTs Negeri 1 Pasuruan, with three students being selected: one having a high level of self-efficacy, one having a moderate level of self-efficacy, and one having a low level of self-efficacy. The results of this study indicate that the self-confidence variable and mathematics learning outcomes have a significant positive relationship. This means that the higher students' self-efficacy when doing assignments related to mathematics, the better the results of students' learning mathematics. Conversely, if the students' self-efficacy when doing tasks related to mathematics is lower, the students' mathematics learning outcomes will also be lower.

Numerous research on the application of the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) method on students' mathematical ability have been carried out during the last 10 years. However, the impact of study characteristics on the level of variation among studies has not been fully explained in previous primary studies. The purpose of this study is to quantify the impact of RME on Indonesian students' mathematical proficiency. The research method used in this study is meta-analysis. Data collection was done by identifying articles published in national journals and proceedings. 36 articles were examined using the meta-mar website and the random effects model for estimation in accordance with the inclusion criteria. The application of RME has an overall effect size of 0.95 on students' mathematical abilities, which corresponds to into the category of a high effect, according to the random effects model, according to this study.

This article, titled "Editorial: Signatures of a direct sense of number," explores the perception of numerosity, or the ability to estimate the number of objects in a set. The authors discuss the debate between the theories of a dedicated mechanism for a sense of number versus numerosity being a second-order product of continuous magnitudes. The article presents a series of studies that examine the mechanisms underlying numerosity perception, including the role of area and density, temporal frequency, and adaptation. The findings suggest that numerosity is directly encoded and that anxious ruminations may impact number sense performance. [Extracted from the article]

We have previously shown that after few seconds of adaptation by finger-tapping, the perceived numerosity of spatial arrays and temporal sequences of visual objects displayed near the tapping region is increased or decreased, implying the existence of a sensorimotor numerosity system (Anobile et al., 2016). To date, this mechanism has been evidenced only by adaptation. Here, we extend our finding by leveraging on a well-established covariance technique, used to unveil and characterize ‘channels’ for basic visual features such as colour, motion, contrast, and spatial frequency. Participants were required to press rapidly a key a specific number of times, without counting. We then correlated the precision of reproduction for various target number presses between participants. The results showed high positive correlations for nearby target numbers, scaling down with numerical distance, implying tuning selectivity. Factor analysis identified two factors, one for low and the other for higher numbers. Principal component analysis revealed two bell-shaped covariance channels, peaking at different numerical values. Two control experiments ruled out the role of non-numerical strategies based on tapping frequency and response duration. These results reinforce our previous reports based on adaptation, and further suggest the existence of at least two sensorimotor number channels responsible for translating symbolic numbers into action sequences.

Mathematical abilities are important for children's academic achievement during the primary education phase. Understanding which cognitive factors underlie individual differences in mathematics is essential to obtaining insights into children's mathematical development. This study explored the roles of phonological processing skills and visual-spatial skills in arithmetic, mathematical problem solving, and mathematical reasoning among primary school children. Two hundred and fifty-one primary school children (mean age: 8.31 ± 0.89 years old), including 87 first graders, 83 s graders, and 81 third graders participated in this study. Children's rapid automatized naming was measured using a rapid digit naming task, and phonological awareness was measured with a character rhyming task. Additionally, children's visual perception was measured with a figure matching task, and mental rotation was measured with a 2D/3D mental rotation task. Children's mathematical abilities were measured with three mathematics tests: calculation task, mathematical problem solving task, and mathematical reasoning task. Regression analyses and Bayesian hypothesis testing showed that phonological awareness uniquely contributed to children's mathematical abilities, especially mathematical problem solving. The results suggest that phonological awareness serves as a key precursor of mathematical abilities during the primary education phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our mathematical thinking sheds light on how we see our world and what knowledge we have about it. In spite of this, mathematical performance is still mostly measured in calculation skills, and this also predestines the success of learning. So at school, what is important is how correctly we solved the task and not the way we got there. An internationally unique Hungarian-developed test (DPV—Pedagogical Examination of Dyscalculia/Diszkalkulia Pedagógiai Vizsgálata) draws our attention to the opposite of this. The special feature of the test is its criterion orientation, which emphasizes the correctness of mathematical thinking while examining the abilities necessary for learning mathematics. The aim of our study was to investigate, as a function of background variables (gender and socioeconomic status (SES)), (1) whether the abilities and thought processes required for learning mathematics function at an adequate level, (2) what effect these may have on mathematical performance, and (3) to what extent all of this is influenced by mathematical anxiety. Our background variables were gender and socioeconomic status. A total of 999 Hungarian students aged 10–15 participated in our study, including 483 boys and 516 girls. In general, we can say that the development of the skills necessary for learning mathematics is closely related to the students’ performance. Nevertheless, it happens that we encounter low performance despite good skills. In several cases, we can experience the presence of anxiety, especially math anxiety, which in most cases, regardless of the level of abilities, negatively affects the success of math learning processes. The findings confirm that socioeconomic status, gender, and performance are risk factors for mathematical anxiety. The following hypotheses have been formulated along the lines of the research objectives set out in the abstract: There are no differences in ability and mathematical performance between boys and girls. Girls are more anxious when they have to solve a mathematical problem. Socioeconomic status predicts ability level and the presence of math anxiety. Mathematical anxiety (MA) modifies the validity of mathematical ability (DPV).

Computer-Based Mathematics Learning (CBML) has gone global in the last decade and is making a substantial impact for educational purposes. But the fact is that in the scientific literature, it is found that studies aimed at testing these theoretical assumptions have inconsistent results. In this regard, this meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effect of CBML and to analyze categorical variables to consider the implications. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database using Publish or Perish between 2010 and 2023. This study examined 29 independent samples from 28 eligible primary studies with 1179 subjects. The population estimate was based on a random effects model, and the CMA software was used as a calculation aid. The study's results provide an overall effect size of 1.03 (large effect). This indicates that applying CBML significantly affects students' mathematical abilities. The four categorical variables considered in the study are discussed to clarify research trends. Furthermore, the research implications are outlined and contribute to future CBML implementation arrangements.

Copyright of Slavonic Pedagogical Studies Journal is the property of Slovenska Vzdelavacia a Obstaravacia s.r.o. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Visuo-spatial working memory is one of the main domain-general cognitive mechanisms underlying mathematical abilities and their development in children. However, if visuo-spatial working memory involves different processes and components, then the term 'mathematics' refers to a broad concept that includes multiple domains and skills. The aim of this present study was to investigate the relationship between different visuo-spatial working memory components and several mathematical abilities in a sample of third- to fifth-grade Italian children. To assess the relationships between different visuo-spatial working memory components and different mathematical abilities, we relied on Network Analysis (NA). Results indicate that some but not all visuo-spatial working memory components are associated with some mathematical abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to improve the ability of creative thinking, to see the picture of self-regulated learning, and to analyze the effect of creative thinking ability on self-regulated learning through the implementation of the Scientific approach. This research method is a mixed method of insertion type. The research instrument used was a creative thinking ability test, observation, self-regulated learning scale, and interviews. The population in this study were students in a private high school in Bandung with a sample of 2 classes. The increase in creative thinking skills was analyzed by normalized gain scores, the description of self-regulated learning was analyzed by Post Hoc Tests, while the effect of creative thinking skills on self-regulated learning was used regression analysis. The results showed that the increase in the creative thinking ability of students who received the Scientific approach was better than the students who received conventional learning, there was no difference in the self-regulated learning of students who received learning using the Scientific approach and conventional models, and there was no difference the effect of creative thinking ability on self-regulated learning in learning with scientific approaches, and conventional ones. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berfikir kreatif, melihat gambaran kemandirian belajar, dan menganalisis pengaruh kemampuan berfikir kreatif terhadap kemandirian belajar melalui implementasi pendekatan scientific. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode campuran tipe penyisipan. Instrumen penelitian yang digunakan adalah tes kemampuan berpikir kreatif, observasi, skala kemandirian belajar, dan wawancara. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah peserta didik di salah satu SMA swasta Bandung dengan sampel sebanyak 2 kelas. Peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kreatif dianalisis dengan skor gain ternormalisasi, gambaran kemandirian belajar dianalisis dengan Tes Post Hoc, sedangkan pengaruh kemampuan berpikir kreatif terhadap kemandirian belajar digunakan analisis regresi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa peningkatan kemampuan berfikir kreatif peserta didik yang memperoleh pendekatan Scientific lebih baik daripada peserta didik yang memperoleh pembelajaran konvensional, tidak terdapat perbedaan kemandirian belajar peserta didik yang memperoleh pembelajaran dengan pendekatan Scientific maupun konvensional, serta tidak terdapat pengaruh kemampuan berfikir kreatif terhadap kemandirian belajar pada pembelajaran dengan pendekatan Scientific, maupun konvensional.

Copyright of Society, Education, Language / Społeczeństwo. Edukacja. Język is the property of Akademia Mazowiecka w Plocku and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background The current evidence on an integrative role of the domain-specific early mathematical skills and number-specific executive functions (EFs) from informal to formal schooling and their effect on mathematical abilities is so far unclear. The main objectives of this study were to (i) compare the domain-specific early mathematics, the number-specific EFs, and the mathematical abilities between preschool and primary school children, and (ii) examine the relationship among the domain-specific early mathematics, the number-specific EFs, and the mathematical abilities among preschool and primary school children. Methods The current study recruited 6- and 7-year-old children (N total = 505, n 6yrs = 238, and n 7yrs = 267). The domain-specific early mathematics as measured by symbolic and nonsymbolic tasks, number-specific EFs tasks, and mathematics tasks between these preschool and primary school children were compared. The relationship among domain-specific early mathematics, number-specific EFs, and mathematical abilities among preschool and primary school children was examined. MANOVA and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to test research hypotheses. Results The current results showed using MANOVA that primary school children were superior to preschool children over more complex tests of the domain-specific early mathematics; number-specific EFs; mathematical abilities, particularly for more sophisticated numerical knowledge; and number-specific EF components. The SEM revealed that both the domain-specific early numerical and the number-specific EFs significantly related to the mathematical abilities across age groups. Nevertheless, the number comparison test and mental number line of the domain-specific early mathematics significantly correlated with the mathematical abilities of formal school children. These results show the benefits of both the domain-specific early mathematics and the number-specific EFs in mathematical development, especially at the key stages of formal schooling. Understanding the relationship between EFs and early mathematics in improving mathematical achievements could allow a more powerful approach in improving mathematical education at this developmental stage.

There is ample evidence from literature and clinical practice indicating mathematical difficulties in individuals with ADHD, even when there is no concomitant diagnosis of developmental dyscalculia. What factors underlie these difficulties is still an open question. Research on dyscalculia and neurotypical development suggests visual perception of numerosity (the number sense) as a building block for math learning. Participants with lower numerosity estimation thresholds (higher precision) are often those with higher math capabilities. Strangely, the role of numerosity perception in math skills in ADHD has been neglected, leaving open the question whether math difficulties in ADHD also originate from a deficitary visual number sense. In the current study we psychophysically measured numerosity thresholds and accuracy in a sample of children/adolescents with ADHD, but not concomitant dyscalculia (N = 20, 8–16 years). Math abilities were also measured by tasks indexing different mathematical competences. Numerosity performance and math scores were then compared to those obtained from an age-matched control group (N = 20). Bayesian statistics indicated no difference between ADHD and controls on numerosity perception, despite many of the symbolic math tasks being impaired in participants with ADHD. Moreover, the math deficits showed by the group with ADHD remained substantial even when numerosity thresholds were statistically regressed out. Overall, these results indicate that math difficulties in ADHD are unlikely to originate from an impaired visual number sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A procept is a combination of mental objects consisting of processes, concepts resulting from these processes, and symbols used to represent either concepts or processes. This study aims to describe the procept profile of the gradient concept and the equation of a straight line for the students of SMPN 1 Sooko Mojokerto. This type of research is descriptive qualitative exploratory. Determining the research subjects was carried out by giving a mathematical ability test to 42 prospective subjects, to obtain 5 students with high mathematics abilities, 22 students, and 15 low students, then from each category one research subject was taken. Data was collected using task-based interviews and analyzed by qualitative data analysis techniques through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results showed that there were differences in the procept profile of the gradient and straight-line equations between students with high, medium, and low abilities. The procept profiles of students with high math abilities meet all categories, students with moderate math abilities meet most of the categories, and students with low math abilities meet the small categories of gradient and straight-line equations.

There is ample evidence from literature and clinical practice indicating mathematical difficulties in individuals with ADHD, even when there is no concomitant diagnosis of developmental dyscalculia. What factors underlie these difficulties is still an open question. Research on dyscalculia and neurotypical development suggests visual perception of numerosity (the number sense) as a building block for math learning. Participants with lower numerosity estimation thresholds (higher precision) are often those with higher math capabilities. Strangely, the role of numerosity perception in math skills in ADHD has been neglected, leaving open the question whether math difficulties in ADHD also originate from a deficitary visual number sense. In the current study we psychophysically measured numerosity thresholds and accuracy in a sample of children/adolescents with ADHD, but not concomitant dyscalculia (N = 20, 8–16 years). Math abilities were also measured by tasks indexing different mathematical competences. Numerosity performance and math scores were then compared to those obtained from an age-matched control group (N = 20). Bayesian statistics indicated no difference between ADHD and controls on numerosity perception, despite many of the symbolic math tasks being impaired in participants with ADHD. Moreover, the math deficits showed by the group with ADHD remained substantial even when numerosity thresholds were statistically regressed out. Overall, these results indicate that math difficulties in ADHD are unlikely to originate from an impaired visual number sense.

Several inconsistent research results regarding the effect of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in enhancing Mathematical Abilities (MA) of primary school students have been reported widely by some researchers. To summarize, estimate, and evaluate the effect of PBL on MA of primary school students and investigate the study characteristics that provoked the heterogeneous effect size, a systematic review and meta-analysis was employed. Hedge's equation was employed to measure effect size using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software as an analysis tool. The synthesis of 16 relevant primary studies revealed that the overall implementation of PBL had a high positive effect (g = 1,050) significantly compared to conventional learning on MA of primary school students based on a random effect model. Moreover, the characteristics of the sampling technique, publication index, and MA significantly caused the heterogeneity of the effect size of PBL towards students' MA. Thus, these results suggest that primary school mathematics teachers should select PBL as one of the best solutions to enhance students' MA and consider the characteristics of students MA that will be improved. Besides, researchers should select random sampling as a sampling technique to select the sample and the literature indexed by Scopus as references to support the quality of research.

Copyright of Szkoła Specjalna is the property of Akademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej im Marii Grzegorzewskiej and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The attention of modern society to intellectual potential makes the problem of studying mathematically gifted youth at the stage of self-determination in higher education relevant. Practical problems related to the psychological features of social adaptation of mathematically gifted youth require solving. The main goal of the research is to study the social and perceptual abilities of mathematically gifted students. The study sample consisted of 76 natural science students aged 17-23 years (M=19.8, SD=3.2 (58% men). The research methods were: testing (test of analytical mathematical abilities, test of the structure of intelligence (TSI) of R. Amthauer), expert assessment, survey (questionnaire of V. A. Krutetsky, questionnaires aimed at diagnosing socio-perceptual abilities), statistical methods. Self-assessment of intelligence, composite assessment, and some components of social intelligence and some components of empathy are significantly different. The ability of mathematical generalization and practical mathematical thinking have a greater number of relationships with social and perceptual properties. Here we found relationships not only with empathy, but also the ability to recognize verbal expression and the General ability to understand and manage their own and other people’s emotions. The ability to operate images in two-dimensional space is related only to the level and components of emotional intelligence. According to the results of the study, the features of socio-perceptual properties of students with different levels of analytical mathematical abilities are described. The conclusions can be used in the development of a program of psychological support for this category of students.

Abstract: Kastolan's theory divides 3 types of errors, namely conceptual, computational, and procedural errors. This study aims to analyze students' errors in solving Cartesian coordinate problems according to Kastolan's theory based on mathematical abilities. The subjects were 9 students of class 8E in a school in Surabaya. The method is descriptive qualitative with a test instrument and interviews. The results showed that conceptual errors were the most common mistakes with 12 answers or 54.5%. The remaining 6 answers or 27.3% procedural errors and 4 answers or 18.2% calculation errors. The conceptual errors of subjects with high, medium, and low mathematical abilities are wrong in determining formulas, theorems, or definitions to answer a problem, errors in using formulas and theorems, or inappropriate definitions. In the calculation error, the subject made an error in calculating the value of arithmetic operation and the placement of the constants-variables. Whereas for procedural errors the subject did not work on the problem in systematic steps. Abstrak: Teori Kastolan membagi 3 jenis kesalahan yaitu kesalahan konseptual, hitung dan prosedural. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis kesalahan siswa dalam menyelesaikan soal cerita koordinat Cartesius menurut teori Kastolan berdasarkan kemampuan matematika. Subjek penelitian ini adalah 9 orang siswa kelas 8E pada salah satu Sekolah di Surabaya. Metode yang digunakan adalah kualitatif deskriptif dengan instrumen tes dan wawancara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kesalahan konseptual merupakan kesalahan yang paling banyak dilakukan yaitu sebanyak 12 jawaban atau 54,5%. Sisanya 6 jawaban atau 27,3% kesalahan prosedur dan 4 jawaban atau 18,2% kesalahan hitung. Pada kesalahan konseptual subjek dengan berkemampuan matematika tinggi, sedang dan rendah, salah dalam menentukan rumus, teorema atau definisi. Untuk menjawab suatu masalah, kesalahan penggunaan rumus dan teorema atau definisi yang tidak sesuai. Pada kesalahan hitung subjek melakukan kesalahan dalam menghitung nilai suatu operasi hitung dan penempatan konstanta-variabel. Sedangkan untuk kesalahan prosedural subjek tidak mengerjakan soal dengan langkah-langkah yang sistematis.

Background: The current evidence on an integrative role of the domain-specific early mathematical skills and number-specific executive functions (EFs) from informal to formal schooling and their effect on mathematical abilities is so far unclear. The main objectives of this study were to (i) compare the domain-specific early mathematics, the number-specific EFs, and the mathematical abilities between preschool and primary school children, and (ii) examine the relationship among the domain-specific early mathematics, the number-specific EFs, and the mathematical abilities among preschool and primary school children. Methods: The current study recruited 6- and 7-year-old children (Ntotal = 505, n6yrs = 238, and n7yrs = 267). The domain-specific early mathematics as measured by symbolic and nonsymbolic tasks, number-specific EFs tasks, and mathematics tasks between these preschool and primary school children were compared. The relationship among domain-specific early mathematics, number-specific EFs, and mathematical abilities among preschool and primary school children was examined. MANOVA and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to test research hypotheses. Results: The current results showed using MANOVA that primary school children were superior to preschool children over more complex tests of the domain-specific early mathematics; number-specific EFs; mathematical abilities, particularly for more sophisticated numerical knowledge; and number-specific EF components. The SEM revealed that both the domain-specific early numerical and the number-specific EFs significantly related to the mathematical abilities across age groups. Nevertheless, the number comparison test and mental number line of the domain-specific early mathematics significantly correlated with the mathematical abilities of formal school children. These results show the benefits of both the domain-specific early mathematics and the number-specific EFs in mathematical development, especially at the key stages of formal schooling. Understanding the relationship between EFs and early mathematics in improving mathematical achievements could allow a more powerful approach in improving mathematical education at this developmental stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the constraints, including biological ones, that may influence mathematical development is of great importance because math ability is a key predictor of career success, income and even psychological well-being. While research in developmental cognitive neuroscience of mathematics has extensively studied the key functional regions for processing numbers, particularly the horizontal segment of intraparietal sulcus (HIPS), few studies have investigated the effects of early cerebral constraints on later mathematical abilities. In this pre-registered study, we investigated whether variability of the sulcal pattern of the HIPS, a qualitative feature of the brain determined in-utero and not affected by brain maturation and learning, accounts for individual difference in symbolic and non-symbolic number abilities. Seventy-seven typically developing school-aged children and 21 young adults participated in our study. We found that the HIPS sulcal pattern, (a) explains part of the variance in participant’s symbolic number comparison and math fluency abilities, and (b) that this association between HIPS sulcal pattern and symbolic number abilities was found to be stable from childhood to young adulthood. However, (c) we did not find an association between participant’s non-symbolic number abilities and HIPS sulcal morphology. Our findings suggest that early cerebral constraints may influence individual difference in math abilities, in addition to the well-established neuroplastic factors.

Increased rates of atypical handedness are observed in neurotypical individuals who are low-performing in mathematical tasks as well as in individuals with special educational needs, such as dyslexia. This is the first investigation of handedness in individuals with Mathematical Learning Difficulties (MLD). We report three new studies (N = 134; N = 1,893; N = 153) and two sets of meta-analyses (22 studies; N = 3,667). No difference in atypical hand preference between MLD and Typically Achieving (TA) individuals was found when handedness was assessed with self-report questionnaires, but weak evidence of a difference was found when writing hand was the handedness criterion in Study 1 (p =.049). Similarly, when combining data meta-analytically, no hand preference differences were detected. We suggest that: (i) potential handedness effects require larger samples, (ii) direction of hand preference is not a sensitive enough measure of handedness in this context, or that (iii) increased rates of atypical hand preference are not associated with MLD. The latter scenario would suggest that handedness is specifically linked to language-related conditions rather than conditions related to cognitive abilities at large. Future studies need to consider hand skill and degree of hand preference in MLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing importance of mathematical creativity, it is still largely unclear which variables contribute to performance in mathematical creativity tasks. While there is some evidence that mathematical achievement is positively related to creativity, our understanding of the relevance of personality traits and creative self-beliefs is limited. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between mathematical creativity, mathematical abilities, personality traits, and creative self-beliefs among 167 university students. The findings revealed that mathematical creativity was positively associated with arithmetic fluency, creative self-efficacy, and self-rated mathematical creativity skills. The assessed variables could explain 27 % of the variance. Personality traits did not exhibit significant associations, contrary to expectations based on domain-general creativity research. Notably, the correlation between creative self-beliefs and creativity measures was higher when self-beliefs were assessed after the creativity measure. This study contributes to our understanding of mathematical creativity but underscores that further research in this area is necessary. Creativity has been recognized as a key competence and one of the most important skills for success in the 21st century, especially creativity in the domain of mathematics. This study examined which factors can explain individual differences in mathematical creativity. Evaluating the relevance of mathematical abilities, personality traits, and creative self-beliefs, we found that some aspects of mathematical abilities (i.e., arithmetic fluency) and creative self-beliefs (i.e., self-rated creativity) were positively associated with mathematical creativity while several personality traits were not important. Understanding mathematical creativity and its relations is the first step toward fostering mathematical creativity in education. • Assessed variables could explain 27 % of variance in mathematical creativity. • Predictors of creativity in mathematics are different from other domains. • Several personality traits are not related to mathematical creativity. • Significant predictors were arithmetic fluency and self-rated creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algebra is one of concept that must be learned by pupils. It is because the algebraic concept can be used in all areas of mathematics. One of the ways that is used to develop pupils' algebraic abilities is to think algebraically. While one of the ways to develop pupils' algebraic thinking skills is to adapt pupils with mathematical problem solving. The purpose of this study is describing algebraic thinking profiles of junior high school pupils in mathematical problem solving. The description of pupils' algebraic thinking profiles is explained based on six indicators namely generalization, abstraction, analytic thinking, dynamic thinking, modeling and organization. This research is a qualitative study using test and interview methods. The research subjects consisted of one student in each student with high mathematical abilities, medium mathematical abilities and low mathematical abilities. The results showed that there were differences in algebraic thinking of junior high school pupils in solving mathematics in terms of mathematical abilities. Based on research data shows that pupils with high mathematical abilities always think algebraically in each problems solving are given, while students with medium and low ability do not always think algebraically in each of problem solving.

Several studies have aimed to identify subtypes of dyscalculia. In many of these studies, either pre-defined groups (e.g., children with reading and mathematical difficulties vs. children with isolated mathematical difficulties) were analyzed regarding their cognitive profiles (top-down approach), or clusters of children with dyscalculia (CwD) were identified based on a narrow range of cognitive and mathematical skills (data-driven or bottom-up approach). However, it has remained difficult to establish robust subtypes of dyscalculia across studies. Against this background, we conducted a mixture model analysis in order to explore and identify subtypes of dyscalculia based on a broad range of variables (intelligence, reading fluency, working memory, attention, and various mathematical skills). The total sample comprised 174 elementary school CwD (IQ > 70; mathematical abilities: percentile rank

Several studies have aimed to identify subtypes of dyscalculia. In many of these studies, either pre-defined groups (e.g., children with reading and mathematical difficulties vs. children with isolated mathematical difficulties) were analyzed regarding their cognitive profiles (top-down approach), or clusters of children with dyscalculia (CwD) were identified based on a narrow range of cognitive and mathematical skills (data-driven or bottom-up approach). However, it has remained difficult to establish robust subtypes of dyscalculia across studies. Against this background, we conducted a mixture model analysis in order to explore and identify subtypes of dyscalculia based on a broad range of variables (intelligence, reading fluency, working memory, attention, and various mathematical skills). The total sample comprised 174 elementary school CwD (IQ > 70; mathematical abilities: percentile rank <10), which consisted of two subsamples. The first subsample was based on a diagnostic test focusing on calculation (HRT 1–4; n = 71; 46 girls, 25 boys; age: M = 9.28 years, SD = 0.94) whereas the second subsample was based on a diagnostic test with a strong focus on basic numerical capacities (ZAREKI-R; n = 103; 78 girls, 25 boys; age: M = 8.94 years, SD = 1.05). Results provided convincing evidence for the existence of two subtypes in CwD: A slightly impaired subtype and a strongly impaired subtype. Subtypes differed most strongly regarding mathematical abilities, but the analyses suggest that differences in attention could also be a key factor. Therefore, comorbid attention difficulties seem to be a relevant factor that needs to be considered when establishing subtypes. Substantial intelligence differences between dyscalculia subtypes could not be found. Differences in working memory and reading fluency were negligible. Overall, the results seemed to be robust regardless of the diagnostic test used for assessing dyscalculia. When planning interventions for CwD, the existence of a subtype with substantial attention problems should be kept in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early numeracy is a robust predictor of later mathematical abilities. So far, early numeracy has typically been presented as a unitary or two-factorial construct. Nevertheless, there is recent evidence suggesting that it may also be reflected by more basic numerical competences. However, the structure and stability of such a multifactorial model of early numeracy over time has not been investigated yet. In the present study, we used data from a large, longitudinal sample (N = 1292) in the United States with assessments of math ability in prekindergarten and kindergarten to evaluate both the factorial structure of early numeracy and its stability over time. Confirmatory factor analysis identified four distinct basic numerical competences making up early numeracy in prekindergarten: patterning/geometry, number sense, arithmetic, and data analysis/statistics. Stability as tested by means of measurement invariance indicated configural invariance of these four factors from prekindergarten to kindergarten. This reflected that early numeracy in kindergarten was made up by the same four basic numerical competences as in prekindergarten and thus seemed rather stable over the course of preschool. These findings may not only have implications for research on numerical cognition but particularly for diagnostic processes or the development of interventions in educational practice.

Early numeracy is a robust predictor of later mathematical abilities. So far, early numeracy has typically been presented as a unitary or two-factorial construct. Nevertheless, there is recent evidence suggesting that it may also be reflected by more basic numerical competences. However, the structure and stability of such a multifactorial model of early numeracy over time has not been investigated yet. In the present study, we used data from a large, longitudinal sample (N = 1292) in the United States with assessments of math ability in prekindergarten and kindergarten to evaluate both the factorial structure of early numeracy and its stability over time. Confirmatory factor analysis identified four distinct basic numerical competences making up early numeracy in prekindergarten: patterning/geometry, number sense, arithmetic, and data analysis/statistics. Stability as tested by means of measurement invariance indicated configural invariance of these four factors from prekindergarten to kindergarten. This reflected that early numeracy in kindergarten was made up by the same four basic numerical competences as in prekindergarten and thus seemed rather stable over the course of preschool. These findings may not only have implications for research on numerical cognition but particularly for diagnostic processes or the development of interventions in educational practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attention of modern society to intellectual potential makes the problem of studying mathematically gifted youth at the stage of self-determination in higher education relevant. Practical problems related to the psychological features of social adaptation of mathematically gifted youth require solving. The main goal of the research is to study the social and perceptual abilities of mathematically gifted students. The study sample consisted of 76 natural science students aged 17-23 years (M=19.8, SD=3.2 (58% men). The research methods were: testing (test of analytical mathematical abilities, test of the structure of intelligence (TSI) of R. Amthauer), expert assessment, survey (questionnaire of V. A. Krutetsky, questionnaires aimed at diagnosing socio-perceptual abilities), statistical methods. Self-assessment of intelligence, composite assessment, and some components of social intelligence and some components of empathy are significantly different. The ability of mathematical generalization and practical mathematical thinking have a greater number of relationships with social and perceptual properties. Here we found relationships not only with empathy, but also the ability to recognize verbal expression and the General ability to understand and manage their own and other people's emotions. The ability to operate images in two-dimensional space is related only to the level and components of emotional intelligence. According to the results of the study, the features of socio-perceptual properties of students with different levels of analytical mathematical abilities are described. The conclusions can be used in the development of a program of psychological support for this category of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of theme block games on the development of mathematical a¬bilities and spatial skills in children aged 5 - 6 years. Methods: Sixty-one children aged 5 - 6 years were selected and randomly assigned to intervention group (g =31) and control group (g = 30). The children of intervention group received 15 times of theme block games intervention for 8 weeks. The mathematical abilities and spatial skills of the intervention group and control group were measured with the Test of Early Mathematics Ability( TEMA) and the Chinese Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence-IV (Block Design) respectively. Results: Analysis of vaiance of repeated measures indicated that the scores of TEMA and WPPSI increased significantly in the inter¬ vention group after theme block games intervention (P <0. 001). There was no significant increase in scores of TE¬MA and WPPSI in the control group bet\veen pretest and posttest (Ps >0.05). The score of TEMA[ (137 ±5) vs. (121 ±12)] and WPPSI [(16 ±3) vs. (12 ±3)] were higher in the intervention group ｔｈａｎｉｎｔｈｅｃｏｎｔｒｏｌｇｒｏｕｐＰ ＜００１ＣｏｎｃｌｕｓｉｏｎＩｔｓｕｇｇｅｓｔｔｈａｔｔｈｅｍｅｂｌｏｃｋｇａｍｅｓｍａｙｐｒｏｍｏｔｅｔｈｅｍａｔｈｅｍａｔｉｃａｌａｂｉｌｉｔｉｅｓａｎｄｓｐａｔｉａｌｓｋｉｌｌｓ ｏｎｃｈｉｌｄｒｅｎａｇｅｄ５－６ｙｅａｒs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the mediating role of analogical reasoning in the relationships among working memory, inhibitory control, and children's mathematical skills. Two hundred fifty-one students from first to third grades were tested on visual-spatial working memory, verbal working memory, inhibitory control, analogical reasoning, and different mathematical skills (i.e., symbolic number processing and mathematical reasoning). After controlling for age and gender, analogical reasoning significantly contributed to both symbolic number processing and mathematical reasoning. The relationship between verbal working memory and symbolic number processing, as well as the relationship between verbal working memory and mathematical reasoning, were significantly mediated by analogical reasoning. The exploratory analyses further revealed that there was no significant age difference in the roles of analogical reasoning. These results highlight the important role of analogical reasoning in explaining the relationships among working memory, inhibitory control, and children's different mathematical abilities. The findings also indicate that analogical reasoning, the ability of identifying and processing critical relational information, may be a potential avenue to improve children's mathematical skills. • Analogical reasoning (AR) is critical to children's mathematical skills. • AR significantly contributed to symbolic number processing and mathematical reasoning. • Verbal working memory was associated with symbolic number processing through AR. • Verbal working memory was associated with mathematical reasoning through AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading, writing, and mathematical success at school is not only predicted by the process of teaching and learning at school, but also by the early literacy, mathematical, and self regulatory skills that were acquired in pre-school years. The possible risks of learning difficulties can be already recognized while observing early differences in letter recognition skills, breadth of vocabulary and concepts, phonetic analysis of the words, recognition of sequence of numbers, abilities to manage impulses and behavior before entering formal school education. The mentioned differences in abilities can be explained by gender differences as well as differences in the educational system. The goal of the current study was to compare the early literacy, mathematical, and self-regulation skills of Lithuanian pre-school boys and girls. The study is aimed at answering following research questions: can gender differences in early literacy, mathematical, and self-regulation skills be found? Which group of children has better developed skills atpreschool age? 229 (116 girls and 113 boys) pre-school children (age mean 6,63) took part in individual evaluation of early literacy, mathematical and self-regulation skills. Children were attending six institutions providing pre-school education. The results of the study proved that girls outperformed boys in most of the early literacy skills: vocabulary knowledge, naming first sound of the word, letter naming, word reading and writing. Rapid naming of the objects and initial phoneme deletion skills were not different among boys and girls. Girls were also better at self-regulation skills than boys. On average, there were no gender differences in mathematical calculation (number adding and subtracting, number sequencing) skills. However, when the groups of top performing children were analyzed, the results showed that there are more boys than girls in the groups performing highest on number adding and subtracting tasks). The results of this study invite to organize the pre-school education in a way that would provide equal opportunities to every child, regardless of their gender to disclose their early literacy, mathematics, and self-regulation abilities. Pre-school educators are advised to monitor the development of reading and writing skills among boys and mathematical skills among girls as the gender groups are at higher risk of developing lower skills in these academic areas. If needed, educators could attempt to stimulate students interest in literacy or mathematical tasks and provide with early academic support.

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The article discusses the mathematical abilities as part of the distinct abilities. Here are some methodological ideas for students and primary school teachers on how to help develop the mathematical abilities of fourth graders in the primary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regions of Russia enjoy substantial independence in shaping their own education systems. However, there is extremely little empirical data on the specific features of development, for instance, of preschool and elementary school children in this or that region. This situation renders it difficult to make informed decisions on corrections required to meet region-specific needs. We analyzed basic mathematical and reading abilities of preschoolers in two regional centers — Krasnoyarsk and Kazan. We applied IPIPS study, which allows assessing the skills of children starting school, to a sample of about 2,750 first-graders in the two cities. As we found out, the level of basic mathematical and reading abilities correlated most strongly with such factors as sociocultural capital, preschool learning experience, and language spoken at home. Meanwhile, location in a specific region had virtually no impact on the skills analyzed.

The domain of numerical cognition still lacks an assessment tool that is theoretically driven and that covers a wide range of key numerical processes with the aim of identifying the learning profiles of children with difficulties in mathematics (MD) or dyscalculia. This paper is the first presentation of an online collectively administered tool developed to meet these goals. The Mathematical Profile Test (MathPro Test) includes 18 subtests that assess numerical skills related to the core number domain or to the visual-spatial, memory or reasoning domains. The specific aim of this paper is to present the preliminary evaluation both of the sensitivity and the psychometric characteristics of the individual measures of the MathPro Test, which was administered to 622 primary school children (grades 1–6) in Belgium. Performance on the subtests increased across all grades and varied along the level of difficulty of the items, supporting the sensitivity of the test. The MathPro Test also showed satisfactory internal consistency and significant and stable correlation with a standardized test in mathematics across all grades. In particular, the achievement in mathematics was strongly associated with the performance on the subtests assessing the reasoning and the visuospatial domains throughout all school grades, whereas associations with the core number and memory tasks were found mainly in the younger children. MD children performed significantly lower than their peers; these differences in performance on the MathPro subtests also varied according to the school grades, informing us about the developmental changes of the weaknesses of children with MD. These results suggest that the MathPro Test is a very promising tool for conducting large scale research and for clinicians to sketch out the mathematical profile of children with MD or dyscalculia.

We relied on the structure of V.A. Krutetskiy consisting of four components: obtaining mathematical information (perceptual component); processing mathematical information (procedural component); storage of mathematical information (mnemonic component); mathematical orientation of the mind (general synthetic component). The following hypothesis was proposed: the use of information technology affects the positive trend in the development of all components of mathematical abilities, and especially on general synthetic component due to the harmonious combination of two sub-components: verbal-logical and visual-figurative. We used a modified methodic, which is a shortened version of tasks classification of V.A. Krutetskiy. The tasks consisted of nine batteries of problems whose solution was assessed by a dichotomous scale, and then the result is expressed as a percentage by number of correctly solved tasks in the series. Analysis of the results of the comparison of mathematical abilities in a sample of 60 people (students-programmers and students non-programmers) showed that a high school students-programmers developed a general synthetic component (t = 2,566, p = 0,013). The students perform tasks with the visual representations and schemes better that contributes to the development of parameters procedural component.

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