Boys' visuospatial abilities compensate for their relatively poor in-class attentive behavior in learning mathematics

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Classroom attention is crucial for academic achievement.
• Sex differences exist in academic performance and cognitive abilities.
• Understanding factors influencing these differences is vital for educational interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between in-class attentive behavior, cognitive abilities (intelligence, working memory, spatial abilities), and academic achievement in mathematics and reading among adolescents.
• To explore potential sex differences in attention, cognitive abilities, and their impact on achievement.
• To determine if visuospatial advantages mediate sex differences in academic achievement, considering attentive behavior.

Main Methods:

• Assessed mathematics and reading achievement, intelligence, working memory, and spatial abilities in 322 adolescents (grades 7-8).
• Collected teacher reports on students' in-class attentive behavior.
• Employed statistical analyses to examine predictors of achievement and mediation effects.

Main Results:

• In-class attentive behavior predicted achievement in both mathematics and reading, with a stronger effect for mathematics.
• Boys exhibited lower attentive behavior than girls and achieved higher in mathematics than expected based on their engagement.
• Boys' superior visuospatial skills fully mediated the sex difference in mathematics achievement, but not in reading achievement, after controlling for attentive behavior.

Conclusions:

• Visuospatial skill advantages in boys may compensate for lower classroom engagement in mathematics learning.
• This compensatory effect was not observed for reading competencies, suggesting domain-specific influences.
• Findings highlight the complex interplay of cognitive abilities, attention, and sex on academic achievement.