Mikaela Nyroos

The association between working memory and educational attainment as measured in different mathematical subtopics in the Swedish national assessment: primary education

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between working memory capacity and mathematical performance measured by the national curriculum assessment in third-grade children (n = 40). The national tests concerned six subareas within mathematics. One-way ANOVA, two-tailed Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted. The results showed that working memory could be deemed as a predictor for the overall mathematical ability. However, the significance of working memory contributions varied for the different mathematical domains assessed. Working memory contributed most to basic mathematical competencies. Algorithms were not explained significantly by working memory. The contributions of different working memory resources varied as a function of the mathematical domain, but in certain respects the variance was shared across the elements and both visuo-spatial and phonological abilities seem important for mathematic performance. We suggest that individuals’ working memory capacity is important to take into consideration in learning.

A cross-national comparison of test anxiety in Swedish and Finnish grade 3 pupils: Measured by the CTAS

The education systems in Sweden and Finland have different formal and informal testing traditions. A recognised possible adverse effect of testing is test anxiety among pupils and students which may have a negative impact on examination performance. Research into which factors of testing practice affect the levels of test anxiety in younger pupils in real classroom settings is a neglected area internationally yet holds great importance for school practitioners. A cross-national study was conducted to determine whether there are any differences in test anxiety between groups of young pupils in Sweden and Finland, as measured by the Children’s Test Anxiety Scale (the CTAS), and whether these differences are ‘real’ differences or a result of differential item functioning. The dimensionality of the CTAS construct is further examined. Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling was used to analyse the data obtained. Partial measurement invariance with respect to nationality and gender was achieved, demonstrating that the CTAS accurately measures latent constructs such as thoughts, autonomic reactions and off-task behaviours in boys and girls, and Swedish and Finnish pupils. No differences were found in the levels of test anxiety experienced by Swedish and Finnish pupils. Girls reported higher levels of autonomic reactions related to test anxiety, but no gender differences in thoughts and off-task behaviours were identified. Methodological limitations and the future implications of the results obtained are discussed.

Children's mathematical achievement and how it relates to working memory, test anxiety and self-regulation: A person-centred approach

Meeting the challenges of teaching to all individuals requires a multifaceted approach, especially from the Swedish standpoint of inclusive education for all pupils. In the context of applied standards for receiving special educational provision, the present paper strives to shed light on the scope of novel indicators which can accommodate pupils’ different needs. Founded on three established and robust psycho-educational concepts – working memory, test anxiety and self-regulation – all of which are important for educational, social, emotional and behavioural development, the present study examines those concepts in terms of profiles and their relations to mathematical achievement. A battery of tests was completed by 624 children between the ages of 8 and 10 to assess their working memory, test anxiety, self-regulation, and mathematical achievement. Person-centred analyses confirmed the negative academic outcomes associated with the aforementioned variables but also revealed individual variations that warrant attention. Further, pupils labelled with an ‘At-risk’ profile were more likely to achieve low Maths scores, compared to pupils with an ‘In-vigour’ profile. An implication for special educational provision is discussed, and practical suggestions are provided.

Where Does Time Go? Teaching and Time Use from the Perspective of Teachers.

During the last three decades Swedish education has undergone radical decentralisation involving increased school autonomy. One aspect of this change is the gradual weakening of the state regulation of teaching time. Thus, Sweden is somewhat of an extreme in the EU. This is accentuated by a five‐year experiment, where 900 compulsory schools were allowed more freedom in the allocation of school hours. Thirty teachers from three compulsory schools participating in the experiment were interviewed and team meetings observed during a two‐year period. The article explores and analyses changes in time‐distribution, classification and framing of the curricula and teachers’ work in the three teams and their classes, and analyses teachers’ experiences of the changes. A major trend towards weakened classification and framing was found. A majority of the teachers were positive to more flexible time use, teamwork and cross‐disciplinary studies. However, despite the experiment a majority still felt inhibited by the national time schedule and too little time for development work. Variations between the three cases are discussed in terms of different team cultures. The school characterised by development‐oriented culture had changed their work and teaching most.

Cultural and Gender Differences in Experiences and Expression of Test Anxiety Among Chinese, Finnish, and Swedish Grade 3 Pupils

While test anxiety has been studied extensively, little consideration has been given to the cultural impacts of childrens experiences and expressions of test anxiety. The aim of this work was to examine whether variance in test anxiety scores can be predicted based on gender and cultural setting. Three hundred and ninety-eight pupils in Grade 3 in China, Finland, and Sweden, each of which has different testing realities, completed the Childrens Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) results indicated that the Chinese sample scored more highly on the autonomic reactions component, whereas the Nordic sample scored higher on the off-task behaviors component. Significant interaction effects between gender and culture were also observed: The Nordic girls exhibited higher levels of autonomic reactions, but the opposite was seen in the Chinese sample, with boys reporting higher levels of the cognitive component. The conceptualization of test anxiety encompassing the off-task behaviors component does not appear to be universal for children. It is also suggested that gender differences vary as a function of culture.

Time to Learn, Time to Develop? Change Processes in Three Schools with Weak National Time Regulation.

This article analyses change of time use and time allocation in three schools participating in a Swedish five‐year national experiment in which State regulation of teaching time was weakened. Participating schools could freely decide how to use and distribute teaching time. The experiment was launched at a late stage in a 25‐year decentralisation process. During this period, the Swedish education system has become one of the most decentralised ones among the OECD countries. Based on a four‐year longitudinal study, the initiation and implementation of more goal‐oriented and flexible time allocations in the three schools were analysed. When removing the time schedule one would expect schools to change both time allocation and pedagogy. However, in all three schools, change concerned the latter rather than distribution of teaching hours across subjects, pupils and so on. In particular, change was about replacing traditional subject‐based teaching by thematic, cross‐disciplinary studies and introducing working forms resulting in increased autonomy, but more responsibility on the part of the pupils. It is concluded that the additional weakening of time governance did not have any dramatic effects on initiation and implementation of school development. It primarily resulted in a confirmation, legitimisation and to some extent speeding up of existing change efforts. More generally it led to increased possibilities of information, networking and attention.

Untangling the Contribution of the Subcomponents of Working Memory to Mathematical Proficiency as Measured by the National Tests: A Study among Swedish Third Graders

The aim with the present study was to examine the relationship between the subcomponents in working memory (WM) and mathematical performance, as measured by the National tests in a sample of 597 Swedish third-grade pupils. In line with compelling evidence of other studies, individual differences in WM capacity significantly predicted mathematical performance. Dividing the sample into four groups, based on their mathematical performance, revealed that mathematical ability can be conceptualized in terms of different WM profiles. Pupils categorized as High-math performers particularly differed from the other three groups in having a significant higher phonological ability. In contrast, pupils categorized as Low-math performers were particularly characterized by having a significant lower visuo-spatial ability. Findings suggest that it is important for educators to recognize and acknowledge individual differences in WM to support mathematical achievement at an individual level.

Self-reported memory strategies and their relationship to immediate and delayed text recall and working memory capacity

The aim of this study was to examine the performance of fifth-grade children in the reproduction of the content of a new text directly after they had read it (immediate recall) and one week later (delayed recall), as well as to investigate the relationship between performance, self-reported memory strategies, and working memory capacity (WMC). The results revealed that more complex strategies are associated with better performances, and that children with a high WMC outperformed children with a lower WMC in immediate and delayed text recall tasks. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that memory strategy and WMC are the strongest predictors for both immediate and delayed recall tasks. It is argued that one can use self-reported memory strategies to estimate strategy proficiency. Awareness of the importance of memory strategies and childrens WMC in education are further discussed.

Additive and multiplicative effects of working memory and test anxiety on mathematics performance in grade 3 students

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the interplay between test anxiety and working memory (WM) on mathematics performance in younger children. A sample of 624 grade 3 students completed a test battery consisting of a test anxiety scale, WM tasks and the Swedish national examination in mathematics for grade 3. The main effects of test anxiety and WM, and the two-way interaction between test anxiety and WM on mathematics performance, were modelled with structural equation modelling techniques. Additionally, the effects were also tested separately on tasks with high WM demands (mathematical problem-solving) versus low WM demands (basic arithmetic). As expected, WM positively predicted mathematics performance in all three models (overall mathematics performance, problem-solving tasks, and basic arithmetic). Test anxiety had a negative effect on problem-solving on the whole sample level but concerning basic arithmetic only students with lower WM were affected by the negative effects of test anxiety on performance. Thus, students with low WM are more vulnerable to the negative effects of test anxiety in low WM tasks like basic arithmetic. The results are discussed in relation to the early identification of test anxiety.

En styrning i tiden

In a short time Sweden has changed from having one of the most centralised education systems to one of far-going decentralisation and management by objectives and results. Accordingly, state regulation of teaching hours in comprehensive education has gradually become weakened. The paper addresses questions related to time governance and school development, mainly at the municipal and school level. How do local directors of education and headteachers reason about the national time table and other factors governing and constraining time allocation? What and who are defined as driving forces and obstacles in this respect?