Educational Psychology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
Educational Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Child Neuropsychol. 2020 May;26(4):489-517. doi: 10.1080/09297049.2019.1674268. Epub 2019 Oct 14.
Cognitive processes that underlie individual differences in mathematical problem-solution accuracy in elementary emerging bilingual children (English Learners) at risk and not at risk for math problem-solving difficulties (MD) were examined. A battery of tests was administered in both English and Spanish that assessed problem-solving, achievement, and cognitive processing in children in first ( = 155/MD = 23), second ( = 129/MD = 44) and third grades ( = 110/MD = 39). The results were that (a) the executive component of working memory (WM) predicted MD status independent of measures of fluid intelligence, reading, calculation, knowledge of algorithms, processing speed, short-term memory, and inhibition, (b) low performance on Spanish measures of numeracy and executive component of WM were major predictors of the odds of being classified as MD and (c) bilingual proficiency primarily moderated English rather than Spanish measures of cognition. The results support the notion that the executive system of WM is an important predictor of emerging bilingual children's math problem-solving difficulties.
本研究旨在考察潜在和非潜在数学问题解决困难（MD）的小学新兴双语儿童（英语学习者）在数学问题解决准确性个体差异的认知过程。在英语和西班牙语中，对处于一年级（= 155/MD = 23）、二年级（= 129/MD = 44）和三年级（= 110/MD = 39）的儿童进行了一系列测试，以评估解决问题、学业成绩和认知加工。结果表明：（a）工作记忆（WM）的执行成分独立于流体智力、阅读、计算、算法知识、加工速度、短期记忆和抑制的测量，预测 MD 状态；（b）西班牙语数算和 WM 执行成分的低表现是被归类为 MD 的主要预测因素；（c）双语熟练程度主要调节英语而不是西班牙语的认知测量。研究结果支持这样一种观点，即 WM 的执行系统是预测新兴双语儿童数学问题解决困难的一个重要因素。
