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The Relationship between Visuospatial Working Memory and Mathematical Performance in School-Aged Children: a Systematic Review

Allen, Katie; Higgins, Steve; Adams, John

The Relationship between Visuospatial Working Memory and Mathematical Performance in School-Aged Children: a Systematic Review Thumbnail


Authors

Steve Higgins

John Adams



Abstract

The body of research surrounding the relationship between visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and mathematics performance remains in its infancy. However, it is an area generating increasing interest as the performance of school leavers comes under constant scrutiny. In order to develop a coherent understanding of the literature to date, all available literature reporting on the relationship between VSWM and mathematics performance was included in a systematic, thematic analysis of effect sizes. Results show a significant influence of the use of a standardised mathematics measure, however, no influence of the type of VSWM or mathematics being assessed, on the effect sizes generated. Crucially, the overall effect size is positive, demonstrating a positive association between VSWM and mathematics performance. The greatest implications of the review are on researchers investigating the relationship between VSWM and mathematics performance. The review also highlights as yet under-researched areas with scope for future research.

Citation

Allen, K., Higgins, S., & Adams, J. (2019). The Relationship between Visuospatial Working Memory and Mathematical Performance in School-Aged Children: a Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review, 31(3), 509-531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09470-8

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Feb 8, 2019
Publication Date Sep 30, 2019
Deposit Date Feb 8, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Educational Psychology Review
Print ISSN 1040-726X
Electronic ISSN 1573-336X
Publisher Springer
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 31
Issue 3
Pages 509-531
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09470-8

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
Advance online version © The Author(s) 2019.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.





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