A Network Analysis of the Relationship among Reading, Spelling and Maths Skills

Abstract

Background. Skill learning (e.g., reading, spelling and maths) has been predominantly treated separately in the neuropsychological literature. However, skills (as well as their corresponding deficits), tend to partially overlap. We recently proposed a multi-level model of learning skills (based on the distinction among competence, performance, and acquisition) as a framework to provide a unitary account of these learning skills. In the present study, we examined the performance of an unselected group of third- to fifth-grade children on standard reading, spelling, and maths tasks, and tested the relationships among these skills with a network analysis, i.e., a method particularly suited to analysing relations among different domains. Methods. We administered a battery of reading, spelling, and maths tests to 185 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children (103 M, 82 F). Results. The network analysis indicated that the different measures of the same ability (i.e., reading, spelling, and maths) formed separate clusters, in keeping with the idea that they are based on different competences. However, these clusters were also related to each other, so that three nodes were more central in connecting them. In keeping with the multi-level model of learning skills, two of these tests (arithmetic facts subtest and spelling words with ambiguous transcription) relied heavily on the ability to recall specific instances, a factor hypothesised to underlie the co-variation among learning skills. Conclusions. The network analysis indicated both elements of association and of partial independence among learning skills. Interestingly, the study was based on standard clinical instruments, indicating that the multi-level model of learning skills might provide a framework for the clinical analysis of these learning skills.

Educational achievement and bullying: The mediating role of psychological difficulties

“…Studies show that mathematical and literacy attainment at the age of 7 is a strong predictor of socio‐economic status by the age of 42 as well as academic motivation and duration of education, with these relationships extending beyond factors such as general intelligence or socio‐economic status at birth (Ritchie & Bates, 2013 ). Though the processes underlying learning and performance in mathematics are generally treated separately from those of literacy (Carreiras et al, 2015 ; Zoccolotti et al, 2021 ), research shows that effects of bullying can still be inhibitory to both. Looking at longitudinal evidence, Smith and Skrbiš ( 2016 ) analysed data from the Social Futures and Life Pathways (‘Our Lives’) project and found that bullying was negatively associated with educational attainment when leaving school.…”

The Simple View of Reading in Children Acquiring a Regular Orthography (Italian): A Network Analysis Approach

“…Networks are transdisciplinary and in psychology have been somewhat classical to model personality, psychopathology and attitudes ( Cramer et al, 2012 ; Schmittmann et al, 2013 ; Costantini et al, 2015 , 2017 ; Dalege et al, 2016 ; Borsboom, 2017 ). More recently, networks have been used to characterize neuropsychological performances in adults ( Tosi et al, 2020 ; Ferguson and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, 2021 ) and to understand the relationship among math, reading and spelling skills in children ( Zoccolotti et al, 2021 ).…”

Interpreting Developmental Surface Dyslexia within a Comorbidity Perspective

“…We recently obtained further evidence along these lines in a study in which we examined performance on standard clinical instruments in a sample of typically developing children and used the network analysis to obtain a unitary picture of reading, spelling, and math skills [ 62 ]. The network analysis indicated that the different measures of the same ability (i.e., reading, spelling, and math) formed separate clusters, in keeping with the idea that they are at least in part related to separate competences.…”