Skills underlying mathematics: Executive functions and components of mathematics

Gilmore, Camilla and Cragg, Lucy (2017). Skills underlying mathematics: Executive functions and components of mathematics. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-852106

A high proportion of children and adults struggle with learning and doing maths. To help them we need to have a clear understanding of the processes involved in mathematics. There are lots of different skills involved in successful maths performance including maths specific knowledge such as knowledge of facts, procedures, and concepts as well as other more general skills. These include holding and manipulating information in mind (working memory), flexible thinking (shifting), and focusing on relevant information and ignoring distractions (inhibition). These skills are often termed 'executive function' skills and are thought to be particularly important for learning maths. To date, this basic understanding of the importance of executive function skills has not been exploited in the classroom because our understanding is not detailed enough. This project will explore the relationship between maths and executive function skills in greater depth using a variety of different research methods. This research will reveal the ways in which executive function skills are involved in learning and doing maths and help us to understand why some children find maths easy, and other children struggle.These findings will be used to raise teachers’ awareness of the importance of considering executive functions skills when teaching maths.

Data description (abstract)

This data collection contains data from a large battery of mathematics and executive function tasks administered to a sample of 403 participants aged between 5 and 25 years of age. The data collection includes standardised assessments of mathematics, the Numerical Operations and Mathematical Reasoning subtests from the Weschler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II UK), in addition to age appropriate experimental mathematics tests of factual knowledge, procedural skill and conceptual understanding in the domain of arithmetic. Executive functions were assessed with experimental tasks measuring verbal and visuospatial short-term and working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and selective attention. Questionnaire measures of mathematics anxiety and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function were also administered. These data underpin the following papers: Gilmore, C., Keeble, S., Richardson, S., & Cragg, L. (2015). The role of cognitive inhibition in different components of arithmetic. ZDM, 1–12. (see Related Resources) Gilmore, C., Keeble, S., Richardson, S., & Cragg, L. (submitted). The interaction of procedural skill, conceptual understanding and executive functions in early mathematics achievement. Cragg, L., Keeble, S., Richardson, S., Roome, H., & Gilmore, C. (in preparation). Direct and indirect influences of executive functions on mathematics achievement.

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