Does accuracy and confidence in working memory performance relate to academic achievement in NAPLAN, the Australian national curriculum assessment?

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine how accuracy and confidence in working memory performance relates to academic achievement as assessed in the Australian national curriculum assessment (National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)). Method: A total of 150 Australian schoolchildren enrolled in Year 4 participated in the study. Accuracy and confidence in performance of a working memory task were assessed. Associations between these working memory measurements and scores in each of the NAPLAN domains (numeracy, reading, persuasive writing, grammar, and spelling) were examined, separately for males and females. Results: Accuracy in working memory performance was associated with achievement in all five NAPLAN domains, in both males and females. Confidence in working memory performance was also related to achievement, but the pattern of results differed for males and females. For females, significant associations were found between confidence and achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, and spelling. For males, confidence was associated with achievement in numeracy only. Females outperformed males in persuasive writing. There was a non-significant trend for males to outperform females in numeracy. Conclusion: The strong links between working memory and achievement highlight the importance of early detection of working memory problems. Further research is needed to examine the extent to which the pattern of results generalises to other year levels.

Restorative Effects of Observing Natural and Urban Scenery after Working Memory Depletion

“…Future research on the topic should focus on more types of executive functions or cognitive mechanisms which might be restored by exposure to nature. This study primarily focused on working memory, which in turn could be associated with higher academic performance [28,29]. When future research would find more cognitive components which may benefit from observing nature, the implication of nature in academic setting would become more powerful and desirable.…”

“…Even when controlling for intelligence, different executive functions could positively predict academic performance [27]. Focusing on the executive function of working memory, Chalmers and Freeman [28] showed that performance on a working memory task was positively associated with the NAPLAN, an Australian national curriculum assessment in children just under 10 years old. Another study by Rhodes et al [29] revealed a positive correlation between working memory and performance in chemistry in early high school children.…”

“…Therefore, the opportunity to research artificial environments (e.g., viewing pictures on a screen) to improve cognitive restoration could be a desirable alternative. Given the relationship between executive functions and academic performance [27,28], investigating the attention restoration theory framework in classroom settings is a relevant research topic. Although it would be difficult to teach classes in a physical nature setting, filling a classroom with natural stimuli could be a possible way to achieve the restorative effects of nature.…”

The Relationship between Father–Child Rough-and-Tumble Play and Children’s Working Memory

“…Working memory is required in almost all everyday tasks such as remembering the order of steps required to complete a task, linking letters together to form words, solving math problems, linking words together to enable comprehension, locating oneself in space, reading maps, and so forth. Working memory has been linked to numerous areas of child development including academic achievement [ 35 , 36 , 37 ] and intelligence [ 38 , 39 ]. Working-memory difficulties have also been associated with classroom behaviour problems [ 40 ].…”