Mathematical Abilities in School-Aged Children: A Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis With Radiomics.

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies have shown that children that differ in some mathematical abilities show differences in gray matter volume mainly in parietal and frontal regions that are involved in number processing, attentional control, and memory. In the present study, a structural neuroimaging analysis based on radiomics and machine learning models is presented with the aim of identifying the brain areas that better predict children's performance in a variety of mathematical tests. A sample of 77 school-aged children from third to sixth grade were administered four mathematical tests: Math fluency, Calculation, Applied problems and Quantitative concepts as well as a structural brain imaging scan. By extracting radiomics related to the shape, intensity, and texture of specific brain areas, we observed that areas from the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, basal ganglia, and limbic system, were differentially related to children's performance in the mathematical tests. sMRI-based analyses in the context of mathematical performance have been mainly focused on volumetric measures. However, the results for radiomics-based analysis showed that for these areas, texture features were the most important for the regression models, while volume accounted for less than 15% of the shape importance. These findings highlight the potential of radiomics for more in-depth analysis of medical images for the identification of brain areas related to mathematical abilities.

Gender-Based Performance in Mathematical Facts and Calculations in Two Elementary School Samples From Chile and Spain: An Exploratory Study.

Gender differences in mathematical performance are not conclusive according to the scientific literature, although such differences are supported by international studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). According to TIMSS 2019, fourth-grade male students outperformed female students in Spanish-speaking countries, among others. This work approaches the study on gender difference by examining the basic calculation skills needed to handle more complex problems. Two international samples of second and third graders from Chile and Spain were selected for this exploratory study. Tests on basic mathematical knowledge (symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparisons, fluency, and calculation) were administered. The tests did not show significant difference or size effect between genders for mean performance, variance in the distribution of performance, or percentiles. As noted in the existing literature on this topic and reiterated by these findings, great care should be exercised when reporting on possible gender differences in mathematical performance, as these can contribute to low self-concept among female students.

Proyecto Petit UBinding: método de adquisición y mejora de la lectura en primero de primaria. Estudio de eficacia / Petit UBinding project: An efficacy study of a reading acquisition and reading improvement method for first grade children

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el impacto de un nuevo método educativo diseñado en la Universidad de Barcelona para dotar a los profesionales de material y herramientas para estimular la lectura en el alumnado de primer curso de educación primaria. Se realizó un diseño pre-post con niños/as separados en 2 grupos: experimental y control. El método fue aplicado en el grupo experimental de noviembre a abril. Tres veces por semana se administraron desde la escuela sesiones grupales en las que se trabajaba mayoritariamente la descodificación, el vocabulario y la comprensión. Por otro lado, de una a 4 veces por semana, según el nivel de eficiencia lectora detectado en cada alumno/a, se llevaron a cabo sesiones individuales online desde el domicilio de los participantes completamente adaptadas al nivel de cada alumno/a, en donde el objetivo principal era trabajar la descodificación. Los análisis mostraron que el grupo experimental obtuvo mejores resultados en fluidez lectora (velocidad y precisión) en todas las pruebas administradas comparado con el grupo de control a final de curso

The aim of this study was to measure the impact of a new method designed at the University of Barcelona to give professionals material and tools that could stimulate reading among first grade of primary school children. The children were split into two groups, an experimental and a control group, and their performances were evaluated within a pre- and post-design. The methodology was applied in the experimental group between November and April. Three times a week, children took part in group sessions that were organized at school. During these sessions, they mainly worked on decoding, vocabulary and comprehension. Between 1 and 4 times a week, according to the reading proficiency of each child, individual online sessions took place at home. These sessions, whose objective was to work primarily on decoding, were entirely adapted to meet the needs of each child, according to his/her level. The analysis of data showed that, at the end of the school term, the experimental group got better results in terms of reading fluency (speed and accuracy) in all tests assessed than the control group

Computer-Based Training in Math and Working Memory Improves Cognitive Skills and Academic Achievement in Primary School Children: Behavioral Results.

Student academic achievement has been positively related to further development outcomes, such as the attainment of higher educational, employment, and socioeconomic aspirations. Among all the academic competences, mathematics has been identified as an essential skill in the field of international leadership as well as for those seeking positions in disciplines related to science, technology, and engineering. Given its positive consequences, studies have designed trainings to enhance children's mathematical skills. Additionally, the ability to regulate and control actions and cognitions, i.e., executive functions (EF), has been associated with school success, which has resulted in a strong effort to develop EF training programs to improve students' EF and academic achievement. The present study examined the efficacy of a school computer-based training composed of two components, namely, working memory and mathematics tasks. Among the advantages of using a computer-based training program is the ease with which it can be implemented in school settings and the ease by which the difficulty of the tasks can be adapted to fit the child's ability level. To test the effects of the training, children's cognitive skills (EF and IQ) and their school achievement (math and language grades and abilities) were evaluated. The results revealed a significant improvement in cognitive skills, such as non-verbal IQ and inhibition, and better school performance in math and reading among the children who participated in the training compared to those children who did not. Most of the improvements were related to training on WM tasks. These findings confirmed the efficacy of a computer-based training that combined WM and mathematics activities as part of the school routines based on the training's impact on children's academic competences and cognitive skills.

How do different components of Effortful Control contribute to children's mathematics achievement?

This work sought to investigate the specific contribution of two different components of Effortful Control (EC) -attentional focusing (AF) and inhibitory control- to children's mathematics achievement. The sample was composed of 142 children aged 9-12 year-old. EC components were measured through the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ; parent's report); math achievement was measured via teacher's report and through the standard Woodcock-Johnson test. Additionally, the contribution of other cognitive and socio-emotional processes was taken into account. Our results showed that only AF significantly contributed to the variance of children's mathematics achievement; interestingly, mediational models showed that the relationship between effortful attentional self-regulation and mathematics achievement was mediated by academic peer popularity, as well as by intelligence and study skills. Results are discussed in the light of the current theories on the role of children's self-regulation abilities in the context of school.

Intentional and automatic numerical processing as predictors of mathematical abilities in primary school children.

Previous studies have suggested that numerical processing relates to mathematical performance, but it seems that such relationship is more evident for intentional than for automatic numerical processing. In the present study we assessed the relationship between the two types of numerical processing and specific mathematical abilities in a sample of 109 children in grades 1-6. Participants were tested in an ample range of mathematical tests and also performed both a numerical and a size comparison task. The results showed that numerical processing related to mathematical performance only when inhibitory control was involved in the comparison tasks. Concretely, we found that intentional numerical processing, as indexed by the numerical distance effect in the numerical comparison task, was related to mathematical reasoning skills only when the task-irrelevant dimension (the physical size) was incongruent; whereas automatic numerical processing, indexed by the congruency effect in the size comparison task, was related to mathematical calculation skills only when digits were separated by small distance. The observed double dissociation highlights the relevance of both intentional and automatic numerical processing in mathematical skills, but when inhibitory control is also involved.

Disentangling the effects of working memory, language, parental education, and non-verbal intelligence on children's mathematical abilities.

It is assumed that children's performance in mathematical abilities is influenced by several factors such as working memory (WM), verbal ability, intelligence, and socioeconomic status. The present study explored the contribution of those factors to mathematical performance taking a componential view of both WM and mathematics. We explored the existing relationship between different WM components (verbal and spatial) with tasks that make differential recruitment of the central executive, and simple and complex mathematical skills in a sample of 102 children in grades 4-6. The main findings point to a relationship between the verbal WM component and complex word arithmetic problems, whereas language and non-verbal intelligence were associated with knowledge of quantitative concepts and arithmetic ability. The spatial WM component was associated with the subtest Series, whereas the verbal component was with the subtest Concepts. The results also suggest a positive relationship between parental educational level and children's performance on Quantitative Concepts. These findings suggest that specific cognitive skills might be trained in order to improve different aspects of mathematical ability.