This study investigated the extent to which domain-general and domain-specific antecedents contributed to pre-algebra's initial level and growth rate among students who experience word-problem difficulty (WPD). We examined if such a profile differs for English-language learners (ELLs; n = 75) and non-ELLs (n = 55) with WPD. We assessed 130 U.S.…

In this study, the visual estimation skills of fourth grade elementary school students based on their mathematical thinking processes were investigated. The research questions focus on understanding how students' mathematical thinking processes influence their visual estimation skills. A total of 445 students participated in the study. The…

Emphasizing the identification of individuals with exceptional abilities in understanding school science is of great importance. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate students' cognitive abilities to identify those with special talents in primary school science. The statistical population of the study included all male and female…

Symbolic and situational mathematics are the two major representations of mathematical knowledge. Although previous literature has studied the relationship between the two from the perspective of teaching practice, learning effectiveness and behavioural performance, there is still a lack of empirical psychological research on cognitive mechanisms…

In classroom learning, students need mathematical cognitive flexibility to be able to solve mathematical problems with the various ideas they express. To solve the problems, they must be able to grasp the problem, see it from various points of view, and should not be rigid thinking with one solving method. In fact, the students still lack the…

This study established an online game-based assessment to explore third and fourth graders' performance of computational estimation in addition and subtraction. Students' computational estimation strategies could be automatically recorded and classified in this assessment, and the Higher-Order DINA model was used as a measurement model in order to…

Mathematical difficulties have been distinguished as mathematics learning disability (MLD) and persistent low achievement (LA). Based on 1,880 Finnish children who were followed from kindergarten (age 6) to fourth grade, this study examined the early risk factors for MLD and LA. Distinct groups of MLD (6.0% of the sample) and LA (25.7%) children…

The current study aimed to investigate the relation between conditional reasoning, which is a common type of logical reasoning, and children's mathematical problem solving. A sample of 124 fourth graders was tested for their conditional reasoning skills and their mathematical problem solving skills, as well as a list of control variables (e.g.,…

The issue of slow learners has remained a concern for educators due to the burdens on school systems and the social and academic consequences to the learners themselves. An understanding of learning behaviours and cognitive characteristics of slow learners together with their social and educational environment facilitates appropriate intervention…

The search for assessment procedures that are more fair and useful have led to the investigation of alternatives to traditional forms of intellectual assessment. This study explored an alternative which combined a dynamic assessment approach with the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Successive Processing (PASS) model of cognitive processing.…

Background: Despite doubts voiced on their efficacy, a series of studies has been carried out on the capacity of training programmes to improve academic and reasoning skills by focusing on underlying cognitive abilities and working memory in particular. No systematic efforts have been made, however, to test training programmes that involve both…

The principle of "inversion," that a + b - b "must" equal a, is a fundamental property of arithmetic, but many children fail to apply it in symbolic contexts through 10 years of age. We explore three hypotheses relating to the use of inversion that stem from a model proposed by Siegler and Araya (2005). Hypothesis 1 is that…

This study aimed to explore the spatial numerical association of response codes (SNARC), the flanker, and the numerical distance effects in children with mathematical difficulties. From a sample of 720 third, fourth, and fifth graders, 60 children were selected and divided into the following three groups: typically developing children (TD; n =…

In this study, through the observation of mathematically promising students in regular classrooms, relevant learning environments and the learning needs of promising students, teacher approaches and teaching methods, and the differences between the promising students and their normal ability peers in the same classroom were investigated.…

In Finland, schools' effectiveness in fostering the development of transversal skills is evaluated through large-scale learning to learn (LTL) assessments. This article presents how LTL skills--general cognitive competences and learning-related motivational beliefs--develop during primary school and how they predict pupils' CPS skills at the end…