Children with mathematical learning difficulties : how do their working memory skills differ from typically developing first graders?
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Abstract
Children with mathematical learning difficulties differ from their peers
not only in terms of their mathematics-specific competencies, but also in terms of
other cross-curricular areas of competence. In many of these areas, they make more
mistakes and need more time. Numerous studies show that they also make more
mistakes in working memory tasks. However, there is little research on whether
they also need more time in working memory tasks. The present study addresses
this question. Methodologically, our study is aligned to peer studies that are included
in a current meta-analysis. Our results from over 400 first graders reveal that children
with mathematical learning difficulties do not only make more mistakes in working
memory tasks, but also need significantly more time for these cognitive processes
already. Our findings highlight how important it is to consider not only mathematics specific competencies but also working memory skills and the time needed when
diagnosing and supporting children in order to effectively implement individualized
interventions and meet heterogeneous learning conditions in mathematics classroom
in primary school.
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Journal für Mathematik-Didaktik, Version of Record (VoR), Springer, Berlin, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13138-023-00222-4