Self-efficacy and short-term memory capacity as predictors of proportional reasoning

Proportional Reasoning Deficit in Dyslexia

Dyslexia has been linked to an altered perception of metrical structures in language, but no study to date has explored the link between reading impairments and other forms of metrical thinking (e.g., proportional reasoning). In the present study, we assessed proportional reasoning in 16 dyslexic children and 16 age-matched controls from 7 to 10 years of age in order to investigate whether dyslexia might be also linked to an altered form of metrical thinking. We found that dyslexic children are less accurate in performing judgments about proportionality compared to typical peers and that reading accuracy correlates with proportional reasoning abilities for 7-8-year-old children. Overall, these findings suggest that a link exists between reading and proportional reasoning abilities. We might speculate that fostering reasoning based on the meter can facilitate reading because it permits the segmentation of words in syllables and that dyslexia can be identified early with alternative non-reading tasks such as the proportional reasoning task used in this work.

A machine learning prediction of academic performance of secondary school students using radial basis function neural network

BACKGROUND

Predictive models for academic performance forecasting have been a useful tool in the improvement of the administrative, counseling and instructional personnel of academic institutions.

AIM

The aim of this work is to develop a Radial Basis Function Neural Network for prediction of students' performance using their past academic records as well as their cognitive and psychomotor abilities.

METHODS

We obtained data from a secondary school repository containing academic, cognitive and psychomotor scores of the students. The preprocessed dataset was used to train the RBFNN model. The impact of Principal Component Analysis on the model performance was also measured.

RESULTS

The results gave a sensitivity (pass prediction) of 93.49%, specificity (failure prediction) of 75%, overall accuracy of 86.59% and an AUC score (aggregate measure of performance across the possible classification thresholds) of 94%.

CONCLUSION

We established in this study that psychomotor and cognitive abilities also predict students' performance. This study helps students, parents and teachers to get a projection of academic success even before sitting for the examination.

Numeracy and the Motivational Mind: The Power of Numeric Self-efficacy

BACKGROUND

Objective numeracy appears to support better medical decisions and health outcomes. The more numerate generally understand and use numbers more and make better medical decisions, including more informed medical choices. Numeric self-efficacy-an aspect of subjective numeracy that is also known as numeric confidence-also relates to decision making via emotional reactions to and inferences from experienced difficulty with numbers and via persistence linked with numeric comprehension and healthier behaviors over time. Furthermore, it moderates the effects of objective numeracy on medical outcomes.

PURPOSE

We briefly review the numeracy and decision-making literature and then summarize more recent literature on 3 separable effects of numeric self-efficacy. Although dual-process theories can account for the generally superior decision making of the highly numerate, they have neglected effects of numeric self-efficacy. We discuss implications for medical decision-making (MDM) research and practice. Finally, we propose a modification to dual-process theories, adding a "motivational mind" to integrate the effects of numeric self-efficacy on decision-making processes (i.e., inferences from experienced difficulty with numbers, greater persistence, and greater use of objective-numeracy skills) important to high-quality MDM.

CONCLUSIONS

The power of numeric self-efficacy (confidence) has been little considered in MDM, but many medical decisions and behaviors require persistence to be successful over time (e.g., comprehension, medical-recommendation adherence). Including numeric self-efficacy in research and theorizing will increase understanding of MDM and promote development of better decision interventions.

HIGHLIGHTS

Research demonstrates that objective numeracy supports better medical decisions and health outcomes.The power of numeric self-efficacy (aka numeric confidence) has been little considered but appears critical to emotional reactions and inferences that patients and others make when encountering numeric information (e.g., in decision aids) and to greater persistence in medical decision-making tasks involving numbers.The present article proposes a novel modification to dual-process theory to account for newer findings and to describe how numeracy mechanisms can be better understood.Because being able to adapt interventions to improve medical decisions depends in part on having a good theory, future research should incorporate numeric self-efficacy into medical decision-making theories and interventions.

Cognitive and numerosity predictors of mathematical skills in middle school

There is a strong research base on the underlying concomitants of early developing math skills. Fewer studies have focused on later developing skills. Here, we focused on direct and indirect contributions of cognitive measures (e.g., language, spatial skills, working memory) and numerosity measures, as well as arithmetic proficiency, on key outcomes of fraction performance, proportional reasoning, and broad mathematics achievement at sixth grade (N=162) via path analysis. We expected a hierarchy of skill development, with predominantly indirect effects of cognitive factors via number and arithmetic. Results controlling for age showed that the combination of cognitive, number, and arithmetic variables cumulatively accounted for 38% to 44% of the variance in fractions, proportional reasoning, and broad mathematics. There was consistency across outcomes, with more proximal skills providing direct effects and with the effects of cognitive skills being mediated by number and by more proximal skills. Results support a hierarchical progression from domain-general cognitive processes through numerosity and arithmetic skills to proportional reasoning to broad mathematics achievement.