Contributions of Motivation, Early Numeracy Skills, and Executive Functioning to Mathematical Performance. A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The main goal of this longitudinal study is to examine the power of different variables and its dynamic interactions in predicting mathematical performance. The model proposed in this study includes indicators of motivational constructs (learning motivation and attributions), executive functioning (inhibition and working memory), and early numeracy skills (logical operations, counting, and magnitude comparison abilities), assessed during kindergarten, and mathematical performance in the second year of Primary Education. The sample consisted of 180 subjects assessed in two moments (5–6 and 7–8 years old). The results showed an indirect effect of initial motivation on later mathematical performance. Executive functioning and early numeracy skills mediated the effect of motivation on later mathematic achievement. Practical implications of these findings for mathematics education are discussed.

The Impact of School Strategies and the Home Environment on Home Learning Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Children With and Without Developmental Disorders

“…But, besides intelligence, other cognitive and non-cognitive propensity variables have been addressed in the literature. Studies underpin the importance of cold (working memory, planning, extent to engage in rehearsal, taking initiative…) and warm executive functions (e.g., emotion regulation, inhibition control; Mercader et al, 2018 ). In the context of COVID-19 it was for example shown in several studies that worries about getting infected with the disease (self or relative) are related to more negative affect and feelings of anxiety and depression (e.g., Giusti et al, 2021 ; Saravanan et al, 2020 ), especially in girls (e.g., Elmer et al, 2020 ; Rajkumar, 2020 ; Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al, 2020 ) and that these feelings in turn are negatively related to academic motivation and performance (Cao et al, 2020 ; Giusti et al, 2021 ).…”

Enhancing Students' Motivation and Problem Solving Skills in Mathematics Using Guided Discovery Learning

“…Good motivation encourages students to develop various aspects of learning performance. Various learning strategies are developed by educators and researchers to be able to provide a learning environment that encourages higher motivation [3,4], including achieving mathematics learning outcomes [5,6]. Therefore, researchers are interested in seeing motivation and problem-solving abilities using a guided discovery learning model.…”

The impact of school strategies and the home environment on home learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in children with and without developmental disorders

“…But, besides intelligence, other cognitive and non-cognitive propensity variables have been addressed in the literature. Studies underpin the importance of cold (working memory, planning, extent to engage in rehearsal, taking initiative…) and warm executive functions (e.g., emotion regulation, inhibition control; Mercader et al, 2018). In the context of COVID-19 it was for example shown in several studies that worries about getting infected with the disease (self or relative) are related to more negative affect and feelings of anxiety and depression (e.g., Giusti et al, 2021;Saravanan et al, 2020), especially in girls (e.g., Elmer et al, 2020;Rajkumar, 2020;Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al, 2020) and that these feelings in turn are negatively related to academic motivation and performance (Cao et al, 2020;Giusti et al, 2021).…”