Psychological Foundations of Mathematics Performance by Deaf and Hearing Students

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究旨在加强我们对听力和失聪学生数学表现基础的理解。这是基于最近关于听力正常儿童数学能力发展的研究结果，以及实证研究和成绩数据表明，失聪学生在数学熟练程度上落后于听力正常的同龄人。特别感兴趣的将是语言流利度、社会文化期望和动机、特定认知因素（例如，工作记忆、执行功能）和与数学相关的元认知功能之间可能的相互作用。该项目将包括七项补充性研究，涉及五个主要目标：(1)通过考察早期数学技能为后来的数学概念理解提供基础的程度，来表征新兴数学技能的发展；(2)通过考察5-25岁学生的定量和定性个体差异，评估认知资源的发展对数学成就的贡献；(3)确定学生和家庭特征以及对数学成就重要性的看法如何与数学能力发展中的认知技能相互作用；(4)确定失聪学生的语言流利性和语言使用模式（言语或手语）如何有助于数学能力的提高；(5)探索优化课堂数学学习的方法。该项目将利用标准化的评估工具来检查数学成绩，利用实验室任务来挖掘数学成绩所必需的简单数字和认知能力，以及调查学生及其父母的社会动机观点。模拟教室将被用来探讨不同沟通能力的聋哑学生对数学学习的支持和障碍。拟议的研究将利用美国和英国的机构和研究人员的独特合作。提出的研究将提供社会动机（包括文化），语言和认知能力在发展和不同年龄之间相互作用的第一个实证评估。对失聪学生和听力健全学生的比较，以及对同一儿童和大学生参与多项研究的比较，将有助于更全面地了解影响数学能力发展的因素，从而获得有关数学学习障碍的信息。公共卫生相关性：本研究将探讨听力和失聪儿童及青少年数学表现的基础。该项目将首次对语言、社会动机因素和认知能力直接影响不同年龄段学生数学成绩的方式进行实证评估。研究结果不仅对许多聋哑学生遇到的数学学习困难有帮助，而且对各种学术环境下的听力正常学生也有帮助。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research seeks to enhance our understanding of the underpinnings of mathematical performance by hearing and deaf students. It follows from recent findings concerning the development of mathematical abilities in hearing children and empirical research and achievement data indicating that deaf students lag behind hearing age- mates in mathematical proficiencies. Of particular interest will be possible interactions among language fluencies, sociocultural expectations and motivation, specific cognitive factors (e.g., working memory, executive functioning), and metacognitive functioning related to mathematics. The project will include seven complementary studies that address five primary goals: (1) Characterization of the development of emergent mathematical skills by examining the extent to which early numerical skills provide the foundation for later conceptual understanding of mathematics, (2) assessment of the contribution of developing cognitive resources to mathematical achievement through examination of quantitative and qualitative individual differences in students aged 5-25 years, (3) determination of how student and family characteristics and perspectives on the importance of mathematics achievement interact with cognitive skills in the development of mathematical abilities, (4) determination of how language fluency and the mode of language use by deaf students (speech or sign language) contribute to mathematical proficiency, and (5) exploring means of optimizing learning of mathematics in the classroom. This project will utilize standardized assessment tools for examining mathematics achievement, laboratory tasks that tap simple numeric and cognitive abilities necessary for mathematics performance, and surveys examining social- motivational perspectives of students and their parents. Simulated classrooms will be used to explore supports for and barriers to mathematics learning by deaf students who vary in their communication fluencies. Proposed studies will take advantage of a unique collaboration involving settings and investigators in the United States and the United Kingdom. The proposed research will provide the first empirical evaluation of interactions among social-motivational (including cultural), language, and cognitive abilities both developmentally and at various ages. Comparison of deaf and hearing students and involvement of the same children and college student participants in multiple studies will yield information concerning the locus of mathematics learning disabilities as a more complete understanding of factors affecting the development of mathematical proficiency. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research will explore the foundations of mathematics performance among hearing and deaf children and young adults. The project will provide the first empirical evaluation of the ways that language, social-motivational factors, and cognitive abilities in direct and affect mathematics performance of these students at various ages. Results will be informative with regard to the mathematics learning difficulties encountered by many deaf students, but also by hearing students in a variety of academic settings.