Examining the relations between spatial skills and mathematical performance: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Much recent research has focused on the relation between spatial skills and mathematical skills, which has resulted in widely reported links between these two skill sets. However, the magnitude of this relation is unclear. Furthermore, it is of interest whether this relation differs in size based on key demographic variables, such as gender and grade-level, and the extent to which this relation can be accounted for by shared domain-general reasoning skills across the two domains. Here we present the results of two meta-analytic studies synthesizing the findings from 45 articles to identify the magnitude of the relation, as well as potential moderators and mediators. The first meta-analysis employed correlated and hierarchical effects meta-regression models to examine the magnitude of the relation between spatial and mathematical skills, and to understand the effect of gender and grade-level on the association. The second meta-analysis employed meta-analytic structural equation modeling to determine how domain-general reasoning skills, specifically fluid reasoning and verbal skills, influence the relationship. Results revealed a positive moderate association between spatial and mathematical skills (r = .36, robust standard error = 0.035, τ 2 = 0.039). However, no significant effect of gender or grade-level on the association was found. Additionally, we found that fluid reasoning and verbal skills mediated the relationship between spatial skills and mathematical skills, but a unique relation between the spatial and mathematical skills remained. Implications of these findings include advancing our understanding for how to leverage and bolster students' spatial skills as a mechanism for improving mathematical outcomes.

Individual differences in mathematical cognition: a Bert's eye view

“…This work has revealed that the association between phonological processing and mathematics holds when non-verbal IQ, executive functions and vocabulary are controlled for [10]. A similar pattern holds for the association between spatial ability and mathematics, which remains when fluid intelligence and verbal skill are controlled for [13]. In all, this suggests that the reported associations between a particular correlate and mathematics remain after some control for other domain-general cognitive factors.…”

“…Domaingeneral (or non-mathematical) factors are variables that are important for learning more broadly and that subserve various academic outcomes, that is they are not specific for learning in a particular domain, for which reason they are considered to be more general. These domain-general variables include executive functions [8] and working memory [9], phonological processing [10] and rapid automatized naming (RAN) [11], language [12], spatial ability [13,14], and fluid intelligence [15]. This apparently simple classification of domain-specific and domain-general factors is much more complicated than it seems, because it is not always clear what specific and general refer to and what is considered to be a domain.…”

A study of practical drawing skills and knowledge transferable skills of children based on STEAM education

“…This sensory ability develops as children visually estimate objects’ width, height, and volume. Children’s ability to assess objects’ quality is associated with mathematical learning ( Atit et al, 2021 ). The participants also had volume sense and physical sense training in their second-grade mathematics curriculum ( Research Group of National Mathematics Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education, 2013 ).…”

Boys’ advantage in solving algebra word problems is mediated by spatial abilities and mathematics anxiety.

“…We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the relation between spatial abilities that are common across these measures and assessed the potential relation between distinct spatial measures and performance on word problems. Atit et al's (2022) meta-analyses, as mentioned, indicated that the strength of the relation between spatial and mathematical abilities is reduced with control of verbal and reasoning abilities. Studies of performance on word problems are consistent with these general trends, that is, intelligence and spatial abilities are concurrently predictive of this performance (Geary et al, 2000;Johnson, 1984;Kyttälä & Lehto, 2008).…”