Abstract
This study examined individual differences in mathematics learning by combining antecedent (A), opportunity (O), and propensity (P) indicators within the Opportunity-Propensity Model. Although there is already some evidence for this model based on secondary datasets, there currently is no primary data available that simultaneously takes into account A, O, and P factors in children with and without Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD). Therefore, the mathematical abilities of 114 school-aged children (grade 3 till 6) with and without MLD were analyzed and combined with information retrieved from standardized tests and questionnaires. Results indicated significant differences in personality, motivation, temperament, subjective well-being, self-esteem, self-perceived competence, and parental aspirations when comparing children with and without MLD. In addition, A, O, and P factors were found to underlie mathematical abilities and disabilities. For the A factors, parental aspirations explained about half of the variance in fact retrieval speed in children without MLD, and SES was especially involved in the prediction of procedural accuracy in general. Teachers’ experience contributed as O factor and explained about 6% of the variance in mathematical abilities. P indicators explained between 52 and 69% of the variance, with especially intelligence as overall significant predictor. Indirect effects pointed towards the interrelatedness of the predictors and the value of including A, O, and P indicators in a comprehensive model. The role parental aspirations played in fact retrieval speed was partially mediated through the self-perceived competence of the children, whereas the effect of SES on procedural accuracy was partially mediated through intelligence in children of both groups and through working memory capacity in children with MLD. Moreover, in line with the componential structure of mathematics, our findings were dependent on the math task used. Different A, O, and P indicators seemed to be important for fact retrieval speed compared to procedural accuracy. Also, mathematical development type (MLD or typical development) mattered since some A, O, and P factors were predictive for MLD only and the other way around. Practical implications of these findings and recommendations for future research on MLD and on individual differences in mathematical abilities are provided.
Highlights
Mathematical competence relies on several interrelated mechanisms and skills (Siemann and Petermann, 2018)
Parents of children in the Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD) group had significantly lower aspirations [antecedent (A)]. These children scored significantly lower on openness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, autonomous motivation, self-esteem, self-perceived competence, intelligence, and working memory when compared to children in the control group
Our results support the fact that children with MLD differ on A as well as on several P indicators
Summary
Mathematical competence relies on several interrelated mechanisms and skills (Siemann and Petermann, 2018). Mathematical competence relies on the capacity to remember and retrieve arithmetic facts MLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by mathematic skills substantially lower than expected with regard to the individual’s chronological age and by persisting math problems despite interventions that target those difficulties (Bryant et al, 2015; Pieters et al, 2015; Baten et al, 2017). Some authors propose that MLD is a heterogeneous disability with a procedural and a semantic memory subtype (Henik et al, 2015). The semantic memory subtype is marked by a lack of fact retrieval fluency (Pieters et al, 2015)
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