Manuel Aguilar

Longitudinal Study of Low and High Achievers in Early Mathematics

BACKGROUND Longitudinal studies allow us to identify, which specific maths skills are weak in young children, and whether there is a continuing weakness in these areas throughout their school years. AIMS This 2-year study investigated whether certain socio-demographic variables affect early mathematical competency in children aged 5-7 years. SAMPLE A randomly selected sample of 127 students (64 female; 63 male) participated. At the start of the study, the students were approximately 5 years old (M= 5.2; SD= 0.28; range = 4.5-5.8). METHOD The students were assessed using the Early Numeracy Test and then allocated to a high (n= 26), middle (n= 76), or low (n= 25) achievers group. The same children were assessed again with the Early Numeracy Test at 6 and 7 years old, respectively. Eight socio-demographic characteristics were also evaluated: family model, education of the parent(s), job of the parent(s), number of family members, birth order, number of computers at home, frequency of teacher visits, and hours watching television. RESULTS Early Numeracy Test scores were more consistent for the high-achievers group than for the low-achievers group. Approximately 5.5% of low achievers obtained low scores throughout the study. A link between specific socio-demographic characteristics and early achievement in mathematics was only found for number of computers at home. CONCLUSIONS The level of mathematical ability among students aged 5-7 years remains relatively stable regardless of the initial level of achievement. However, early screening for mathematics learning disabilities could be useful in helping low-achieving students overcome learning obstacles.

Improving attention behaviour in primary and secondary school children with a Computer Assisted Instruction procedure

Attention disorders are one of the major sources of poor school performance. This research project was designed to examine whether a Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) approach would be successful in achieving higher rates of attention. In order to increase attention behaviour during school time, psychologically‐designed software was developed. The software, called “How to improve your mental skills,” consists of three games based on multimedia perception tasks. First, 155 elementary school children with an average age of 12.4 years, from Cadiz (Spain) School District, were evaluated with two attention tests, the Perception Differences Test (PDT), and the subtest Spatial of Primary Mental Aptitude (S‐PMA). Students were divided and balanced into one experimental and two control groups, according to their scores on the PDT. Then, 10 training sessions, of 25 minutes each, with the software “How to improve your mental skills”, were administered to the experimental group. Children from control group 1 played...

Mental Attention in Gifted and Nongifted Children.

The relationship between the construct of mental attention and “giftedness” is not well established. Gifted individuals could make effective use of their executive functions and this could be related to their mental attentional capacity. The dialectic constructivist model developed by Pascual-Leone introduced the concept of mental attention or “effort”, relating it to mental capacity. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the measurement of mental capacity (M-measurement) is differential for a group of children with high IQs. 110 students between 4 and 18 years old participated in this study. Some were Gifted (n=70) and others Non-Gifted (n=40). Wechsler-R Scale and the Figural Intersection Test were administered to all participants. An interesting pattern was found in the younger groups. The gifted scored higher than the non-gifted in the Figural Intersection Test and much higher than their theoretical M. The non-gifted scored quite close to their theoretical M (based on age). In the oldest group, the gifted again achieved higher scores, but now they scored at the theoretical level, and the non-gifted underperformed.RésuméLa relation entre le concept de l’attention mentale et l’intelligence supérieure n’est pas très bien établi. Les personnes ayant des capacités élevées pourraient faire une utilisation très habile de leurs fonctions exécutives et ceci peut être en rapport avec la capacité d’attention mentale. Ce concept est dénommé: le modèle constructiviste dialectique développé par Pascual-Leone, celui-ci a introduit le concept d’attention mentale rattaché à la capacité mentale. L’objectif de ce travail est d’étudier si la mesure de la capacité mentale (M) est différente pour un groupe de graçons et filles qui présentent une haute ponctuation en intelligence psychométrique. Dans cette étude ont participé 110 élèves de 4 à 18 ans. Certains enfants étaient surdoués (n=70) et d’autres non (n=40). L’échelle Wechsler-R et il Figural Intersection Test a été administrée à tous les participants. Les résultats trouvés montrent que les participants plus jeunes, ont obtenu de meilleurs résultats avec le FIT. De même, les enfants de capacité élevée ont une ponctuation M supérieure à ce que l’on pourrait espérer pour leur âge.

El uso de esquemas figurativos para ayudar a resolver problemas aritméticos

Resumen Los alumnos con dificultades de aprendizaje presentan, en ocasiones, déficits en matemáticas, especialmente en el área de resolución de problemas. Parece bien establecido que los niveles de resolución de problemas son significativamente más bajos en los alumnos con dificultades de aprendizaje. Los programas instruccionales diseñados para la mejora del aprendizaje en resolución de problemas aritméticos han establecido la importancia de incorporar en el entrenamiento estrategias de dominio de conceptos y tareas de planificación. Aunque se hace una revisión de aquellos procedimientos que utilizan pensamiento estratégico como herramienta instruccional, se expone con más detalle un programa instruccional ya contrastado para ayudar a resolver problemas aritméticos dentro del modelo mixto cognitivo comportamental. El procedimiento permite desarrollar el pensamiento estratégico de los alumnos/as y utiliza tanto dispositivos de respuesta con feedback directo, como aprendizaje de representación gráfica de los componentes del problema. Tras exponer los fundamentos del programa y sus aspectos más prácticos, se especifican las implicaciones educativas más significativas de su uso en entornos de educación primaria.

Explanatory model of emotional-cognitive variables in school mathematics performance: a longitudinal study in primary school

This study tested a structural model of cognitive-emotional explanatory variables to explain performance in mathematics. The predictor variables assessed were related to students’ level of development of early mathematical competencies (EMCs), specifically, relational and numerical competencies, predisposition toward mathematics, and the level of logical intelligence in a population of primary school Chilean students (n = 634). This longitudinal study also included the academic performance of the students during a period of 4 years as a variable. The sampled students were initially assessed by means of an Early Numeracy Test, and, subsequently, they were administered a Likert-type scale to measure their predisposition toward mathematics (EPMAT) and a basic test of logical intelligence. The results of these tests were used to analyse the interaction of all the aforementioned variables by means of a structural equations model. This combined interaction model was able to predict 64.3% of the variability of observed performance. Preschool students’ performance in EMCs was a strong predictor for achievement in mathematics for students between 8 and 11 years of age. Therefore, this paper highlights the importance of EMCs and the modulating role of predisposition toward mathematics. Also, this paper discusses the educational role of these findings, as well as possible ways to improve negative predispositions toward mathematical tasks in the school domain.

POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION IN CHILDREN WHO WERE WARDS OF THE COURT ATTENDING A MAINSTREAM SCHOOL

This report looked at the effects of treatment using contingency contracts and token economy procedures in three children, two 14 yr. and one 8 yr., who were wards of the court and attending a mainstream school. Students presented problems of adaptation to school, such as making constant noises with the mouth, hands, or pencil on the desk; frequently emitted raucous cries in the classroom; destruction of school resource materials; verbal aggression to classmates and teachers; verbal rejection of all academic work, refusing to do it, making negative comments prior to starting any school activity, in addition to lack of motivation for undertaking school activities. A 4-mo. individual treatment using contingency contracts and token economy behavioral procedures was implemented, with several follow-up sessions. The results indicated an adaptation of behavior to the school environment, confirmed by teachers, significantly reducing the incidence of insults, the destruction of school materials, and indolence during class sessions. These students are at high risk for social exclusion. Interventions have potential social importance in possible prevention of adult criminality, increasing academic achievement, and decreasing social exclusion.

The Open Algorithm Based on Numbers (ABN) Method: An Effective Instructional Approach to Domain-Specific Precursors of Arithmetic Development

This article presents the results of a comparative study regarding the impact and contribution of two instructional approaches to formal and informal mathematical reasoning with two groups of Spanish students, aged four and five. Data indicated that for both age groups, children under the ABN method [Open Algorithm Based on Numbers (ABN)] (n = 147) achieved better results than the group under the CBC approach (Closed Algorithms Based on Ciphers) (n = 82), which is the widespread approach in Spanish schools to teach formal and informal mathematical reasoning. Furthermore, the comparative analyses showed that the effect is higher in the group of students who received more instruction on skills considered domain-specific predictors of later arithmetic performance. Statistically significant differences were found in 9 of the 10 dimensions evaluated by TEMA-3 (p < 0.01), as well as on estimation tasks in the number-line for the 5-year-old-group. However, the 4-year-old group only presented significant results in calculation and concepts tasks about informal mathematical reasoning. We discuss that these differences arise by differential exposure to specific number-sense tasks, since the groups proved to be equivalent in terms of receptive vocabulary, processing speed, and working memory. The educational consequences of these results were also analyzed.

Utilización de conceptos en la evaluación de la memoria implícita

ResumenTiempo atras se ha comprobado que cuando se presenta a los sujetos experimentales palabras que pertenecen todas a una misma categoria, dichas palabras se recuerdan mejor que cuando la presentacion ha sido realizada de forma caotica, entremezclando aleatoriamente unos ejemplares con otros de distintas categorias. No obstante, estas investigaciones han estado orientadas al analisis de la estructura de la memoria explicita, sin considerar la implicita. Este estudio en un principio trataba de comprobar como el priming es mayor en una lista de palabras presentadas de forma bloqueada (por categorias) que en otra lista de palabras presentadas al azar en una prueba de produccion categorica. A raiz de los resultados encontrados se observo la dificultad que existe en la evaluacion de la memoria implicita, utilizando conceptos. Para poder discernir el efecto del priming de la memoria implicita de otras hipotesis como los elementos prototipicos de la memoria semantica, este trabajo propone un diseno alternativ...