How are pupils’ working memory skills linked to their mathematical abilities?

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How was the study designed?

This study aimed to find out how different aspects of working memory contributed to pupils’ mathematical skills at Key Stage 2. The study involved 148 pupils from three primary schools in the north east of England:

78 Year 3 pupils, 46 boys and 32 girls, with a mean age of 8 years and 1 month; and
70 Year 5 pupils, 33 boys and 37 girls, with a mean age 9 years 10 months.

The percentage of children achieving level 4 attainment and above was higher than the national average, for maths, English and science, in two of the schools and lower than the national average in the third school.

The pupils participated in two testing sessions:

the first session involved three working memory tasks; and
the second involved age appropriate maths assessments focusing on all four areas of the curriculum, number and algebra, shape, space and measures, handling data and mental arithmetic.

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Research Home Themes \| Find digests \| About the digests resources glossary researchers contact TRIPS Introduction What did the study find? How did the researchers define working memory and how was it tested? How were pupils' mathematical skills tested? How was the study designed? What are the implications? Where can I find out more? Send us your feedback Collated digests How are pupils’ working memory skills linked to their mathematical abilities? To view/remove/add notes and save your collated digests click here Get Word Reader How are pupils’ working memory skills linked to their mathematical abilities? This digest found in Mathematics Send to a friend Word doc 90KB Printer friendly How was the study designed? This study aimed to find out how different aspects of working memory contributed to pupils’ mathematical skills at Key Stage 2. The study involved 148 pupils from three primary schools in the north east of England: 78 Year 3 pupils, 46 boys and 32 girls, with a mean age of 8 years and 1 month; and 70 Year 5 pupils, 33 boys and 37 girls, with a mean age 9 years 10 months. The percentage of children achieving level 4 attainment and above was higher than the national average, for maths, English and science, in two of the schools and lower than the national average in the third school. The pupils participated in two testing sessions: the first session involved three working memory tasks; and the second involved age appropriate maths assessments focusing on all four areas of the curriculum, number and algebra, shape, space and measures, handling data and mental arithmetic.