Systematic survey of neurocognitive studies that examine connections between domain-general cognitive characteristics and mathematical processing

This paper examines 6th grade children's local conceptual development and mathematization processes as they worked a comprehensive mathematical modeling problem (creating a consumer guide for deciding the best snack chip) over several class periods. The children and their teachers were participating in a 3-year longitudinal teaching experiment in which sequences of mathematical modeling problems were implemented from the 5th grade (10 years of age) though to the 7th grade. In contrast to traditional problem solving, mathematical modeling requires children to generate and develop their own mathematical ideas and processes, and to form systems of relationships that are generalizable and reusable. Reported here is a detailed analysis of the iterative cycles of development of one group of children as they worked the problem, followed by a summary of the mathematization processes displayed by all groups. Children's critical reflections on their models are also reported. The results show how children can independently develop constructs and processes through meaningful problem solving. Children's development included creating systems for operationally defining constructs; selecting, categorizing, and ranking factors; quantifying quantitative and qualitative data; and transforming quantities.

Aim: To find out variation in flexibility, strength and balance of university and school students on their dominant and non-dominant sides. Study Design: A Cross section study. Place and duration of study: Data was collected from Lahore grammar school (LGS), Al’Ala school and university of management and technology (UMT), Lahore. After approval of synopsis (RE-092-2021) the data collection was done from the duration of 10th November 2021 to 15th February 2022. Methodology: A cross section study conducted on healthy school and university students. The data was collected by non-probability convenient sampling. After verbal Informed consent the data was obtained from school students of grade 7-10 from Lahore Grammar school and Al’Ala international Islamic school and undergraduate’s students of UMT by using convenient sampling. Physical performance tests for measuring strength (sit-ups), flexibility (Zipper, sit and reach, dorsiflexion) and balance (Flamingo test) were demonstrated and were asked to perform. Readings were taken of each test. Results: Sit ups excellent results were reported in majority of university students (36%). Sit and reach test was found better in university (32%), zipper test positive results were better in school students. Dorsiflexion test normal values were more in university (18%). Flamingo test showed 45% university students had good balance. There was statistically significant difference in zipper (P=0.004), flamingo (P=0.036) on non-dominant side and sit and reach dominant (P=0.006) and non-dominant side (P=0.031). Practical implication: The normative data of physical performance measures can help prevent injuries, as these can be used as a reference to detect poor health and lethargy at school and university level. These measures can be used as a reference for primary prevention among university going and school going students. Furthermore, to increase awareness about physical fitness among young population. Conclusion: Both groups showed good physical performance measures. Flexibility test showed better results in School students. Strength test showed better result in university students whereas, balance test reported better in school students. Keywords: Balance, Flexibility, Limb dominance, musculoskeletal injuries, Physical activity, Strength,

Aim: To find out variation in flexibility, strength and balance of university and school students on their dominant and non-dominant sides. Study design: A Cross section study. Place and duration of study: Data was collected from Lahore Grammar School (LGS), Al’Ala school and University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore. After approval of synopsis (RE-092-2021) the data collection was done from the duration of 10th November 2021 to 15th February 2022. Methodology: A cross section study conducted on healthy school and university students. The data was collected by non-probability convenient sampling. After verbal Informed consent the data was obtained from school students of grade 7-10 from Lahore Grammar school and Al’Ala international Islamic school and undergraduate’s students of UMT by using convenient sampling. Physical performance tests for measuring strength (sit-ups), flexibility (Zipper, sit and reach, dorsiflexion) and balance (Flamingo test) were demonstrated and were asked to perform. Readings were taken of each test. Results: Sit ups excellent results were reported in majority of university students (36%). Sit and reach test was found better in university (32%), zipper test positive results were better in school students. Dorsiflexion test normal values were more in university (18%). Flamingo test showed 45% university students had good balance. There was statistically significant difference in zipper (P=0.004), flamingo (P=0.036) on non-dominant side and sit and reach dominant (P=0.006) and non-dominant side. Practical implication: The normative data of physical performance measures can help prevent injuries, as these can be used as a reference to detect poor health and lethargy at school and university level. These measures can be used as a reference for primary prevention among university going and school going students. Conclusion: Both groups showed good physical performance measures. Flexibility test showed better results in School students. Strength test showed better result in university students whereas, balance test reported better in school students. Keywords: Balance, Flexibility, Limb dominance, musculoskeletal injuries, Physical activity, Strength,

The skills involved in the mathematical thinking process are crucial for university students pursuing Mathematics Education. However, most of them lack proficiency in seeing patterns while addressing an issue and articulating the problem in mathematical terms. The objectives of this research are (1) to analyze students' mathematical thinking process skills; (2) to ascertain students' expectations regarding the learning process and assessment in Ethnomathematical education; (3) to develop a performance assessment model design; (4) to evaluate the quality of the performance assessment model within Ethnomathematics-based Project-based Learning (PjBL) for measuring students' mathematical thinking process skills; and (5) to report the outcomes of measuring students' mathematical thinking process skills. This study employs a research and development (R&D) design. This study's population comprises all 6th-semester students enrolled in the Mathematics Education program at Muria Kudus University. The research sample was obtained by a saturation sampling procedure, comprising 107 students. The study instruments employed consist of assessment tools designed to evaluate students' mathematics cognitive processing skills. The acquired data were analyzed descriptively. The research findings indicate that: (1) students' mathematical thinking process skills are suboptimal, with a mean value of 54.14%; (2) students desire greater engagement in an active learning process that connects to real-life situations and cultural contexts, incorporating assessments that reflect individual performance; (3) a performance assessment model design for Ethnomathematics-based Project-Based Learning (PjBL) has been developed, encompassing objectives, components, instruments, syntax, and model guidelines. The created performance assessment approach for ethnomathematics-based project-based learning is both valid and reliable, and the evaluation of mathematical thinking process abilities demonstrates exceptional outcomes. This study suggests the necessity of implementing the ethnomathematics-based Project-Based Learning (PJBL) performance evaluation model to enhance students' mathematical thinking skills through an active, contextual, and culturally relevant method. Keywords: ethnomathematics, performance assessment, pjbl, project-based learning. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/jpmipa/v25i3.pp1281-1296

ABSTRACTAlthough the early development of children's number sense is a strong predictor of their later mathematics achievements, it has been overlooked in primary schools in Malaysia. Mainly attributable to underdeveloped number sense of Malaysian primary and secondary school children, their inability to handle simple mathematics tasks, which require the understanding of basic mathematical concepts, numerical estimation, and mental computation, is a cause for worry. To enhance the perception of curriculum designers and mathematics teachers about why and how number sense ought to be developed, this article serves as a review of essential components, theoretical framework, and test of number sense.

This chapter presents a selective review of the recent research on the development, learning, and teaching of mathematical knowledge and thinking. While school mathematics involves not only arithmetic but also algebra, measurement and geometry, and data handling and probability, the present chapter focuses on arithmetic only, a focus that reflects the preponderance of current psychological and educational research on mathematics education. And within arithmetic the emphasis is on number sense, whole number arithmetic, and word-problem solving—topics that have been stressed in recent reform documents because of their importance for the acquisition in children of basic competence in mathematics. The review is also selective with regard to age range, focusing on primary school children. As a framework for reviewing the literature, and for the presentation and discussion of research-based instructional interventions, we use a model for the design of powerful environments for learning and teaching mathematics that is structured according to four interrelated components, namely, competence (aspects of mathematical proficiency), learning (characteristics of productive mathematics learning processes), intervention (principles for the design of environments for mathematics learning and instruction), and assessment (forms of assessment for monitoring and improving mathematics learning and teaching). Keywords: classroom assessment; large-scale assessment; mathematical competence; mathematical learning; mathematical thinking; mathematics education; mathematics learning environments; mathemetics-related beliefs; multidigit arithmetic; number sense; single-digit computation; word problem solving

Human mathematical competence emerges from two representational systems. Competence in some domains of mathematics, such as calculus, relies on symbolic representations that are unique to humans who have undergone explicit teaching. More basic numerical intuitions are supported by an evolutionarily ancient approximate number system that is shared by adults, infants and non-human animals-these groups can all represent the approximate number of items in visual or auditory arrays without verbally counting, and use this capacity to guide everyday behaviour such as foraging. Despite the widespread nature of the approximate number system both across species and across development, it is not known whether some individuals have a more precise non-verbal 'number sense' than others. Furthermore, the extent to which this system interfaces with the formal, symbolic maths abilities that humans acquire by explicit instruction remains unknown. Here we show that there are large individual differences in the non-verbal approximation abilities of 14-year-old children, and that these individual differences in the present correlate with children's past scores on standardized maths achievement tests, extending all the way back to kindergarten. Moreover, this correlation remains significant when controlling for individual differences in other cognitive and performance factors. Our results show that individual differences in achievement in school mathematics are related to individual differences in the acuity of an evolutionarily ancient, unlearned approximate number sense. Further research will determine whether early differences in number sense acuity affect later maths learning, whether maths education enhances number sense acuity, and the extent to which tertiary factors can affect both.

ABSTRACTFormal education would promote symbolic number processing ability, but the relationship between non‐symbolic number sense and mathematical education remains controversial. The current investigation hypothesized that non‐symbolic number sense is independent from the limited human experience of mathematical education, while symbolic number processing could be influenced by related closely to mathematical education. Experiment 1 compared both non‐symbolic number sense and arithmetic computation of undergraduates majoring in STEM fields and humanities. Experiment 2 compared homologous undergraduates from China and Kyrgyzstan in non‐symbolic number sense and mathematical cognitive processing. Both of two experiments found that mathematical education was significantly associated with symbolic mathematics, but not with non‐symbolic number sense. The results suggest that while mathematical education might improve symbolic mathematics, it does not alter non‐symbolic number sense.

Students’ learning speed and number sense are critical aspects of mathematics education, yet little is known about how these factors interrelate across different learner profiles. Addressing this gap, this research investigates the characteristics of students’ number sense in relation to their learning speed, providing a novel perspective on tailoring mathematics instruction. This qualitative case study involved 185 8th and 9th students from seven junior high schools across seven sub-districts in Sukabumi, Indonesia, who had previously studied fractions. The research was conducted in three stages: identifying learning speed through IQ scores, self-assessment, and teacher evaluations; administering a diagnostic test to assess number sense; and analyzing the number sense characteristics of representative students from each learning speed category. Findings reveal a comprehensive mapping of learning speeds, highlighting the role of factors such as conceptual understanding, study habits, and mathematical content processing in number sense achievement. Notably, differences were observed among slow, average, and fast learners, suggesting the need for differentiated instructional strategies. The implications of this study emphasize the importance of targeted approaches in mathematics teaching, enabling educators to foster inclusive environments that cater to diverse learning needs. This research contributes a unique methodology for integrating cognitive and practical assessments to better understand and support students’ mathematical development.

Children's Mathematics Learning: The Struggle to Link Form and Understanding

We determined how various cognitive abilities, including several measures of a proposed domain-specific number sense, relate to mathematical competence in nearly 100 9-year-old children with normal reading skill. Results are consistent with an extended number processing network and suggest that important processing nodes of this network are phonological processing, verbal knowledge, visuo-spatial short-term and working memory, spatial ability and general executive functioning. The model was highly specific to predicting arithmetic performance. There were no strong relations between mathematical achievement and verbal short-term and working memory, sustained attention, response inhibition, finger knowledge and symbolic number comparison performance. Non-verbal intelligence measures were also non-significant predictors when added to our model. Number sense variables were non-significant predictors in the model and they were also non-significant predictors when entered into regression analysis with only a single visuo-spatial WM measure. Number sense variables were predicted by sustained attention. Results support a network theory of mathematical competence in primary school children and falsify the importance of a proposed modular ‘number sense’. We suggest an ‘executive memory function centric’ model of mathematical processing. Mapping a complex processing network requires that studies consider the complex predictor space of mathematics rather than just focusing on a single or a few explanatory factors.

This study aimed to explore the associated factors of stigma towards people with mental illness among Omani school and university students. A cross-sectional study among 371 school and university students with a multivariable linear regression model to identify the associated factors of personal and perceptions of stigma. Male students, those with highly educated mothers, have high monthly income, higher mental health knowledge, employed fathers, and received focused education on mental illness showed fewer stigmatizing attitudes. Enhancing the knowledge about mental illness among school and university students and their families can play a significant role in reversing stigma.

The purpose of this study is to test whether concept mapping can be used for measuring the levels of number sense and use it to measure the mathematical experts’ level of number sense. The sample included 39 undergraduate and post-graduate students of Departments of Mathematics in Greece. A paper and pencil test was administered to measure the level of number sense in different mathematical domains. Additionally, the participants were asked to create a concept map with 1/2 as the central term. The results showed low levels of number sense with the majority of the participants responded in the number sense test by applying rules and algorithms rather than more holistic approaches that would indicate higher levels of number sense. Additionally, participants’ performance in concept mapping was strongly related to their performance in the number sense test. Specifically, participants with low number sense scores tended to present poor concept maps.

Introduction. Formation and development of artistic abilities and creative skills of primary schoolchildren, as well as providing favourable conditions for their implementation, is one of the important tasks of modern art education. Domestic scientists consider the development of special (subject) competences in the field of acting to be a new ideological approach in art education to the formation of artistic abilities in children of primary school age. In addition, the means of modern dance are used to improve the primary school pupil’s abilities to self-expression, self-affirmation, the desire for a high level of individual freedom, the emergence of a child’s own style, improvisation. Modern dance plays an important social role in the lives of children of primary school age, as it helps them to develop speech abilities (communication with like-minded people, exchange of ideas, advice, joint support, critical remarks), formation of a favourable psychological climate in the team, an atmosphere of mutual respect and mutual assistance, emergence and implementation of creative ideas. Classes in modern choreography contribute to the development of aesthetic education of children at the primary level of education, have a positive effect on their physical development and general culture. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to reveal the specifics of the influence of modern dance on the development of artistic inclinations in children of primary school age. Methods. Theoretical analysis of scientific literature, systematization and generalization of the collected material, pedagogical experiment, modelling. Results. The study clarified the concepts of “artistism”, “primary school age”, “artistic skills of primary schoolchildren”, “modern dance”. It has been proven that it is worth starting to develop artistic abilities in primary school students, since this age is characterized by children’s rich imagination, fantasy, well-developed imaginative thinking, associative skills, etc. Attention is focused on the fact that the development of the artistic abilities of pupils is more successful when the elements of theater pedagogy are effectively used in choreography classes, the psychomotor abilities of children are improved, conditions are created for the disclosure of their creative and artistic abilities, the ability to improvise, to convey emotions, ideas in images through dance choreographic performance. Types of choreographic art are considered, in particular: classical, folk-scenic, historical-household, ballroom, modern, jazz dance. Distinctive features of the main varieties of modern dance are revealed: contemporary, modern, jazz-modern. In modern dance, e.g., the performer’s attempt to build a connection between the dance form and his inner state is essential. There is also folk modern, which is considered as a style of modern choreography of the postmodern period, which combines modern dance with folk and folk stage choreography, i.e., it is a kind of interpretation of folklore by means of modern choreography. As a result of the combination of two styles of choreography - modern and jazz dance, the jazz-modern direction emerged. All modern youth trends (break, hip-hop, funky, twist, Charleston, shake, boogie-woogie) are derived from jazz dance and contemp. Based on the results of the ascertaining stage of the pedagogical experiment conducted on the basis of the exemplary ensemble of modern and sports dance “Irbis” on the basis of the “Centre of Children’s and Youth Creativity of Cherkasy” extracurricular educational institution, the author’s program was developed and briefly presented in this article. The purpose of the program is to offer a set of choreographic exercises for the development and improvement of artistic abilities of children of primary school age by means of modern dance. A prominent place in this program is occupied by exercises on improvisation, a sense of music and the development of children’s creative ideas about objects and phenomena of the surrounding world. Conclusion. Therefore, the means of modern dance play an important role in the formation of artistic abilities in children of primary school age. We have developed an author’s program for the development of artistic abilities in children of primary school age in classes on modern choreography, which is aimed at improving the already formed artistic qualities of children of dance groups, artistic and aesthetic tastes of pupils. The process of considering the individual abilities and needs of pupils in creative self-realization during modern choreography classes being an important aspect of educational process, needs further research.

Multi-Year Longitudinal Investigation of Children's Early Mathematics Development