The interplay of cognition and affect in fourth graders' math performance: role of working memory in mediating the effects of math anxiety and math interest on arithmetic fluency
Tapola, Anna; Rawlings, Anna Maria; Mononen, Riikka; Tähti, Pinja; Korhonen, Johan (2025-06-17)
Taylor & Francis
17.06.2025
Tapola, A., Rawlings, A. M., Mononen, R., Tähti, P., & Korhonen, J. (2025). The interplay of cognition and affect in fourth graders’ math performance: role of working memory in mediating the effects of math anxiety and math interest on arithmetic fluency. Cognition and Emotion, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2025.2516660
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202506194770
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202506194770
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
Working memory (WM) capacity may influence students’ math performance together with their affective experiences, such as math anxiety (MA) and math interest. It has also been suggested that the influence of affect on performance might go through WM. The negative relationship between MA and math performance is well-established, and some studies have found WM to mediate this association. However, little is known, first, about the relationship between WM and math interest, and second, about the potential mediating effect of WM between interest and math performance. This study examined the direct and mediated effects of MA and interest through WM on fourth graders’ (N = 332) performance in arithmetic fluency while controlling for generalised anxiety. Findings from structural equation modelling showed MA to predict performance negatively, while the effects of WM and interest were positive. There was a negative indirect effect from MA through WM on performance indicating partial mediation, while a corresponding, but positive, effect was not found for interest. Our results suggest that while both negative and positive affective experiences are related to math performance, the role of WM in explaining this link may be more pronounced regarding MA than interest.
Working memory (WM) capacity may influence students’ math performance together with their affective experiences, such as math anxiety (MA) and math interest. It has also been suggested that the influence of affect on performance might go through WM. The negative relationship between MA and math performance is well-established, and some studies have found WM to mediate this association. However, little is known, first, about the relationship between WM and math interest, and second, about the potential mediating effect of WM between interest and math performance. This study examined the direct and mediated effects of MA and interest through WM on fourth graders’ (N = 332) performance in arithmetic fluency while controlling for generalised anxiety. Findings from structural equation modelling showed MA to predict performance negatively, while the effects of WM and interest were positive. There was a negative indirect effect from MA through WM on performance indicating partial mediation, while a corresponding, but positive, effect was not found for interest. Our results suggest that while both negative and positive affective experiences are related to math performance, the role of WM in explaining this link may be more pronounced regarding MA than interest.
Kokoelmat
- Avoin saatavuus [38841]
Ellei muuten mainita, aineiston lisenssi on https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/