Mathematical achievement: the role of spatial and motor skills in 6–8 year-old children

Abstract

Several studies have tried to establish the factors that underlie mathematical ability across development. Among them, spatial and motor abilities might play a relevant role, but no studies jointly contemplate both types of abilities to account for mathematical performance. The present study was designed to observe the roles of spatial and motor skills in mathematical performance. A total of 305 children aged between 6 and 8 years took part in this study. A generalized linear regression model with mathematical performance as a dependent variable was performed. Results revealed that Block design (as a visuospatial reasoning measure) accounted for mathematical performance, especially among 6- and 7-year-olds but not in 8-year-olds. After controlling for the effect of the block design, mental rotation and manual dexterity predicted mathematical performance. These findings highlight the role of underlying cognitive (spatial) and motor abilities in supporting mathematical achievement in primary school children.

Oceans of Inspiration: A Marine Based STEAM Project

“…Therefore, it is not surprising that various studies have shown a correlation between motor proficiency and scholastic performance (Baedke, 1980;Beilei et al, 2002;Haapala et al, 2014;Geertsen et al, 2016), and more specifically that of motor proficiency and mathematical achievement (Luo et al, 2007;Kim et al, 2018). Of note, fine motor skills, such as manual dexterity, have been shown to be a better predictor of mathematical performance than gross motor skills (Fernández-Méndez et al, 2020). Fine motor skills are clearly necessary to perform most manufacturing engineering duties and many tasks within a physics laboratory.…”

Educational interventions involving physical manipulatives for improving children’s learning and development: a scoping review

“…There is also a well-established relationship between young children's spatial cognition and math ability (Casey et al, 2012;Clements & Sarama, 2008;Gunderson et al, 2012;Mix et al, 2016;Mix & Cheng, 2012;. Spatial reasoning is one of the strongest predictors of young children's math achievement in primary school (Fernández-Méndez et al, 2020;Mix & Cheng, 2012), and may support math learning of concepts such as geometry, mental arithmetic, magnitude estimation, counting, and algebra (Battista, 1990;Kyttälä et al, 2003;Kyttälä & Lehto, 2008;Thompson et al, 2013;Tolar et al, 2009). Furthermore, spatial ability also positively predicts whether children will enjoy and succeed in STEM-based subjects, and whether a person will pursue a STEM-related career in the future (Khine, 2016;Wai et al, 2009).…”

The role of neurological soft signs in different mathematical skills in second and third grade children

“…Finally, we expected the relationship between NSSs and mathematical skills would vary by grade level. According to previous studies (Fernandez-Mendez et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2018;Macdonald et al, 2018;Pitchford et al, 2016), the relationships between fine motor skills and mathematical performance were most commonly detected in kindergarten to second grade. Therefore, we hypothesized that motor-related NSSs would have a greater impact on mathematical performance in Grade 2 than in Grade 3.…”

“…When children begin to learn more complex mathematical concepts at the end of first grade, fine motor skills tend to be automated but still contribute to mathematical performance, and the development of mathematical skills relies more on higher‐level cognitive processes (Carlson et al, 2013; Kim et al, 2018). Ample evidence has indicated that fine motor skills are associated with academic achievement in math, especially during early childhood (Fernandez‐Mendez et al, 2020; Kim et al, 2018; Macdonald et al, 2018; Pitchford et al, 2016). On the other hand, according to the sensory integration theory (Ayres, 1972), sensory inputs also contribute to learning, and sensory integration deficits are often associated with learning disabilities, including poor mathematical skills (Ayres, 1972; Forrest, 2004; Gevers et al, 2016).…”

“…The development of early mathematical abilities depends on a child's interaction with the environment. Fine motor skills, such as finger movements, eye–hand coordination and grasping, are important for children in early childhood to understand the physical world and master basic mathematical skills, such as arithmetic, spatial, and geometric concepts (Fernandez‐Mendez et al, 2020; Kim et al, 2018; Luo et al, 2007; Macdonald et al, 2018). When children begin to learn more complex mathematical concepts at the end of first grade, fine motor skills tend to be automated but still contribute to mathematical performance, and the development of mathematical skills relies more on higher‐level cognitive processes (Carlson et al, 2013; Kim et al, 2018).…”