Domain-general cognitive precursors and their relationship with mathematical competence in students aged 10 to 12 years

Abstract

Cognitive parameters such as fluid-intelligence, working-memory and processing-speed have been considered as precursors to performance in mathematics. Although their incidence is more widely known in early mathematical learning, their predictive capacity in ages following formal primary education is less explored. Likewise, there is still a wide margin for study for discovering whether the teaching methodology used for learning mathematics is also a determining factor for explaining mathematical performance and cognition. This work was concerned with the analysis of the results in mathematical and cognitive tasks of 5th and 6th grade primary education. The students had been learning mathematics from the beginning of their formal education system with one of the two different methodologies studied: Open Algorithm Based on Numbers (ABN) and Closed Algorithm Based on Ciphers (CBC). 244 participants aged between 10 and 12 were evaluated with the TEDIMath-Grands test. They were also set tests relating to fluid intelligence, working memory and processing speed. The participants were balanced in regard to the method of mathematics learning they had received in their schooling: ABN/or CBC. The data indicated a better result in mathematics performance by those participants in the ABN group, particularly in mental calculation, conceptual knowledge and problem solving tasks. Working-memory and fluid-intelligence were the variables that had most influence on the results of both groups, being significant for ABN group. The results are novel taking into account the level of schooling of the participants, and the lack of comparative studies made at this age with two different mathematics teaching-learning methods.