Deconstructing Mathematical Problem Solving: Contributions of Cognition and Language (360G-Wellcome-207304_Z_17_Z)

Mathematical skills predict career outcomes, health literacy, and finance skills. Troublingly, almost half of the adult population in the UK have a mathematical skill level equivalent to primary education. In order to remediate this and design effective, early interventions, it is important that we first understand how mathematical skills develop. In particular, little is currently known about the cognitive skills underlying mathematical skills. We will focus on understanding word problems because this is the type of mathematical information people more commonly encounter in daily life. We are interested in how high-level cognitive skills (known as executive functions) and language skills help solve mathematical word problems in children ages 5 and 6 – the age at which children first start formal schooling. Furthermore, since little attention has been placed on different types of word problems, we propose to investigate specifically which cognitive skills 5 to 6 years-old children use while solving ‘consistent problems’ (word problems involving relational terms that are consistent with the required mathematical operator) and ‘inconsistent problems’ (relational terms conflicting with the required mathematical operator). Findings will contribute to our understanding of how children acquire complex problem-solving skills and offer guidance on where to focus educational and interventional effort.