Does Cognitive Reflection Support Children's Math Learning?
Location
Halllway North of the Bookstore
Department
Psychology
Abstract
A basic knowledge of mathematics is required for many social and economic opportunities. Thus, understanding the variables related to children’s math learning is of utmost importance. This project explores the role of cognitive reflection on children’s mathematics learning. Cognitive reflection is the tendency to reflect on and override an inaccurate gut response. Only recently has a measure of cognitive reflection been available for use with school-aged children. Young and Shtulman (2020) found children’s cognitive reflection was an excellent predictor of children’s mathematical equivalence understanding (i.e., knowing the equal sign means “the same as”). Research has not yet established whether cognitive reflection is related to children’s mathematical equivalence learning. The present thesis project will establish whether cognitive reflection is related to children’s learning from a lesson on mathematical equivalence. 183 U.S. 7-to11-year-olds participated in the study. Students first completed a measure of cognitive reflection (CRT-D) and a pretest measure of math equivalence understanding. Students then watched an instructional video on mathematical equivalence and completed a posttest measure of math equivalence understanding. I predict children with greater cognitive reflection will learn more form instruction (i.e., have greater pretest to posttest gains) than children with less cognitive reflection. Results of this study will better our understanding of the role of cognitive reflection in children’s mathematics learning.
Faculty Sponsor
Andrew Young, Northeastern Illinois University
Does Cognitive Reflection Support Children's Math Learning?
Halllway North of the Bookstore
A basic knowledge of mathematics is required for many social and economic opportunities. Thus, understanding the variables related to children’s math learning is of utmost importance. This project explores the role of cognitive reflection on children’s mathematics learning. Cognitive reflection is the tendency to reflect on and override an inaccurate gut response. Only recently has a measure of cognitive reflection been available for use with school-aged children. Young and Shtulman (2020) found children’s cognitive reflection was an excellent predictor of children’s mathematical equivalence understanding (i.e., knowing the equal sign means “the same as”). Research has not yet established whether cognitive reflection is related to children’s mathematical equivalence learning. The present thesis project will establish whether cognitive reflection is related to children’s learning from a lesson on mathematical equivalence. 183 U.S. 7-to11-year-olds participated in the study. Students first completed a measure of cognitive reflection (CRT-D) and a pretest measure of math equivalence understanding. Students then watched an instructional video on mathematical equivalence and completed a posttest measure of math equivalence understanding. I predict children with greater cognitive reflection will learn more form instruction (i.e., have greater pretest to posttest gains) than children with less cognitive reflection. Results of this study will better our understanding of the role of cognitive reflection in children’s mathematics learning.