GSE/RES: Two Studies on Long-term Changes in the Relation Between Spatial Skills and Math Achievement in Girls

智力价值：这项研究的目的是从不同的收入和教育水平对来自家庭的女孩的空间技能和数学成就之间的关系进行纵向调查。空间技能的一种类型，三维心理旋转能力，显示出最大的性别差异，在任何其他认知指标中，男孩更倾向于男孩，女孩在解决这些问题时使用的策略不如男孩有效。特别是对女孩来说，这种类型的空间推理被发现是数学成绩的有力预测因素。通过从纵向角度关注女孩的变异性，本研究的目的是对可能促进女孩空间技能和数学技能的发展机制提供细微差别的描述。该项目包括两项关于女孩随着时间的推移获得空间和数学技能的研究。研究1探讨了女孩从五年级到七年级(女孩获得三维空间技能的时期)三维心理旋转技能与数学成绩之间关系的纵向变化。这项纵向研究将允许对这段时间内空间技能和数学成绩之间的联系做出更多的因果推断。研究二探讨了女孩早期的数学技能和家庭早期的数学经历对她们以后的数学成绩和空间技能的影响。这项研究是NSF资助的一项针对一年级女孩的研究的后续研究，在这项研究中，同样的样本将在五年级进行评估。前人的研究表明，早期家庭数学经历是一年级女生数学成绩的重要预测因素，并在社会经济地位与数学成绩之间起到中介作用。本研究将探讨女生早期的数学经历是否对她们在五年级以后的数学成绩有任何长期的影响，并控制SES水平。更广泛的影响：仔细分析女孩在空间和数学技能之间的关系上随时间的发展变化，将提供急需的信息，说明空间能力在女孩的STEM成功以及教育和职业选择和结果中发挥的关键作用。这可能提供重要的教育线索，说明如何更有效地教女孩发展其空间推理技能，并在处理数学问题时应用这些技能，首要目标是扩大女孩在STEM领域的参与。

Intellectual Merit: The objective of this research is to conduct longitudinal investigations of the relationship between spatial skills and mathematics achievement in girls from families from a range of income and educational levels. One type of spatial skill, 3-d mental rotation ability, shows the largest gender differences favoring boys of any other cognitive measure, with girls using less effective strategies than boys solving these problems. For girls, in particular, this type of spatial reasoning has been found to be a strong predictor of mathematics achievement. By focusing on variability among girls from a longitudinal perspective, the purpose of the present study is to provide a nuanced account of developmental mechanisms that may promote girls' spatial and mathematics skills. The project includes two studies of the acquisition of spatial and mathematics skills in girls over time. Study 1 addresses longitudinal changes among girls in the relation between 3-d mental rotation skills and mathematics achievement from fifth through seventh grade (the period in which 3-d spatial skills are being acquired in girls). This longitudinal research will allow for more causal inferences about the links between spatial skills and mathematics achievement over this time period. Study 2 addresses the influence of girls' early skills and early mathematics experiences in the home, on their later mathematics achievement and spatial skills. This study is a follow-up of a NSF-funded study of first grade girls, in which the same sample will be assessed at fifth grade. The previous study showed that early home mathematics experiences were important predictors of mathematics achievement in first-grade girls, and mediated the association between socio-economic status and mathematics performance. This study will investigate whether these early mathematics experiences in girls have any long-term impact on their later mathematics achievement in fifth grade, when controlling for SES levels. Broader Impacts: A careful analysis of girls' developmental changes in the relationship between spatial and mathematics skills over time will provide much needed information about the critical role that spatial ability plays in girls' STEM success and educational and occupational choices and outcomes. This may provide important educational clues on how to more effectively teach girls to develop their spatial reasoning skills and to apply them when approaching mathematics problems with the overarching goal being to broaden the participation of girls in STEM fields.