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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1464501

Gender Differences in Elementary School Students' Fraction Learning: Roles of Spatial Ability and Mathematical Anxiety

Provisionally accepted
Ruhai Zhang Ruhai Zhang 1Zhongting Chen Zhongting Chen 2,3Ciping Deng Ciping Deng 2,3*
  • 1 East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
  • 2 School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
  • 3 Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aim: In this study, we examined gender differences in fraction learning and explored potential underlying mechanisms. Methods: The mediating effects of spatial ability and mathematical anxiety on gender differences in fraction learning were tested in elementary school students. A total of 165 sixth-grade students (83 girls) from public elementary schools participated in the study. All participants completed a series of tasks, including a mathematical anxiety test, two spatial ability tasks (spatial working memory and mental rotation tests), and a fraction knowledge test (incorporating fraction arithmetic, fraction number line, and fraction concept knowledge). Results: Significant gender differences exist in student performance in terms of fractional arithmetic, fractional number line estimation, mathematical anxiety, and spatial working memory. We also identified a chain-mediating effect of spatial working memory and mathematical anxiety on the relationship between gender and fractional arithmetic. Conclusions: The findings suggest a developmental pathway linking gender differences in spatial cognition to fraction learning, contributing to a better understanding of the cognitive and affective factors underlying gender differences in fraction learning during early adolescence. Furthermore, there are several practical implications for reducing gender differences in mathematics education during school years.

    Keywords: Gender difference, Spatial Ability, Mathematical anxiety, Fraction learning, mediation effect

    Received: 16 Jul 2024; Accepted: 22 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Chen and Deng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ciping Deng, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.