Search for: All records

With a diverse sample of community college (CC) students (n = 94), we investigated how the working memory (WM)-math relation may be moderated by aspects of acculturation, including cultural adoption and cultural maintenance. We predicted that higher levels of each of the above acculturation factors would improve math performance by way of reducing WM load (via cognitive load). Conversely, we expected a weaker WM-math correlation at lower levels of acculturation due to the increased variability in cultural factors and the adverse effect of lower acculturation on WM through heightened cognitive load. In this cohort, WM correlated with math performance, but acculturation did not significantly influence this relationship. Neither cultural adoption nor cultural maintenance moderated the WM-math association. Results suggest that individualized educational interventions based on acculturation status alone may not be an effective strategy. Instead, institutions such as schools and governmental agencies may focus on providing a better foundation for educational success by enhancing academic and non-academic support systems to promote equitable educational opportunities for all students. Further research should explore additional individual and/or demographic factors (e.g. socioeconomic status, experiences of discrimination, cultural background) to better understand these complex relations. 

The goal of this work is to provide a framework for understanding the relationship between executive function (EF) to reading and other academic achievements to promote future work in this area. After briefly reviewing extant theoretical and empirical support about what is known in this area, we then more deeply evaluate the construct of EF itself. This is necessary because EF means any number of things to any number of individuals, scientists included. Review of several pertinent conceptualizations of EF, including our own, reveals agreement that EF is domain general (although the meaning of domain generality is varied); additional commonalities include a focus on control/management and goal direction. However, there is less agreement on whether EF is singular or plural, or whether EF is one or more “thing(s)” versus process(es). These alternatives are discussed with a focus on the implications for understanding the role of EF for important functional outcomes. 

We report on a study investigating the sympathetic and performance effects of relatable humorous videos in undergraduate math exams. We recruited 20 lower division students to test this novel form of questioning. The students took a foundational math exam that included 12 items from each of the following three categories: Abstract A, Word W, and Video V, where A featured formula-based questions and W analytic questions expressed in plain descriptive form. The V category had questions similar to the W category, but expressed in relatable humorous video form. Sympathetic arousal was measured through facial electrodermal activity (EDAf) and heart rate (HR), where the former was extracted via thermal imaging, and the latter through smartwatches. Results from both the EDAf and HR channels indicate that questions expressed in relatable humorous video form significantly curtail hyperarousal with respect to similar questions expressed in plain descriptive form. Furthermore, the study’s results suggest that exam performance is negatively affected by pre-exam anxiety, while is positively affected by generous time allotment. The said findings highlight the potential of V questions in making the math experience less stressful and more endearing to undergraduate students. Due to the importance of foundational math courses, such a change stands to bring downstream benefits to STEM education.