ARITHMETIC WORD PROBLEM-SOLVING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN: THE ROLE OF COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL-MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS

The ability to solve arithmetic word problems (AWPs) is a fundamental skill acquired during primary education and is recognized as a strong predictor of children’s academic performance, as well as their future occupational and financial success. Despite its importance, many children underperform in this area, highlighting the need to better understand the individual factors that affect AWP-solving ability and to develop evidence-based instructional interventions. While previous research has mainly focused on domain-specific cognitive skills underlying difficulties in AWP-solving, the role of emotional-motivational factors, such as math anxiety, and their combined effect with cognitive factors remains underexplored. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to broaden our understanding of the individual factors contributing to difficulties in AWP-solving among primary school children, by considering both cognitive and emotional-motivational factors, and developing targeted interventions. Specifically, the studies in this dissertation sought to: 1) assess the role of domain-general cognitive abilities in AWP-solving performance and problem representation; 2) investigate the relationship between math anxiety, metacognitive experiences of task difficulty, and AWP-solving; 3) evaluate how the interplay between math anxiety, working memory, and ego-resiliency affects performance on AWPs and an arithmetic task; and 4) compare the effectiveness of a cognitive-based intervention and an emotional-motivational intervention on AWP-solving ability. The results have demonstrated that cognitive factors, such as fluid intelligence, inhibition, updating ability, and reading comprehension, are important predictors of AWP-solving performance and problem representation. Furthermore, math anxiety was found to negatively impact AWP-solving performance, mediated by metacognitive experiences of task difficulty and working memory. Ego-resiliency showed a negative relationship with math anxiety, indicating its potential role as a protective factor against negative emotions in mathematical contexts. Finally, the findings suggest that a cognitive-based intervention, particularly one focused on problem representation, is more effective in improving AWP-solving ability compared to an emotional-motivational intervention targeting math anxiety. Both interventions significantly reduced reported levels of math anxiety. In sum, this dissertation highlights the importance of a holistic approach to understanding and addressing AWP-solving difficulties, emphasizing the importance of both cognitive and emotional-motivational aspects.