수학 문장제 문제해결력과 작업기억 간 상관관계에 대한 메타분석

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of the correlation between mathematical word problem solving and the phonological loop, the visuo-spatial sketchpad, and the central executive working memory. Articles published in English peer-reviewed journals from 1975 to 2018 were included. The participants consisted of kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school students. The current meta-analysis was based on the theoretical basis of the multi-component working memory model proposed by Baddeley (1998) regarding the phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, and the central executive working memory. A meta-analysis using R programs was conducted with a total of 19 articles included. The moderating effects of students’ disability, gender, grade, topics of mathematical word problem solving, and tasks of working memory were analyzed. The results show that the correlations between word problem solving and the phonological loop, the visuo-spatial sketchpad, or the central executive working memory were significant and moderate. Most moderating variables did not have a significant effect across all three working memory components. The only significant moderating variable that affects the magnitude of the relation between mathematical word problem solving and the central executive working memory was the topics of mathematical word problem solving (F = 70.90, p = .030). This correlation was significantly high in the case of mathematical problems involving subtracting whole numbers or adding, multiplying, and dividing fractions. Based on the findings, practical implications for understanding the cognitive and mathematical learning characteristics of individuals struggling with mathematics are discussed.