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

智力优势：本研究的目的是对来自不同收入和教育水平家庭的女孩的空间技能和数学成绩之间的关系进行纵向调查。一种空间技能，三维心理旋转能力，在任何其他认知测试中显示出最大的性别差异，男孩更倾向于女孩，女孩在解决这些问题时使用的策略不如男孩有效。尤其是对女孩来说，这种空间推理能力是预测数学成绩的有力指标。通过从纵向角度关注女孩之间的差异，本研究的目的是对可能促进女孩空间和数学技能的发展机制提供细致入微的描述。该项目包括两项关于女孩空间和数学技能随时间发展的研究。研究1探讨了女孩在五年级到七年级（女孩获得三维空间技能的时期）三维心理旋转技能和数学成绩之间关系的纵向变化。这种纵向研究将允许更多的因果推理空间技能和数学成绩之间的联系在这段时间内。研究2探讨了女孩的早期技能和早期家庭数学经历对她们后来的数学成就和空间技能的影响。这项研究是美国国家科学基金会资助的一年级女孩研究的后续研究，在该研究中，同样的样本将在五年级进行评估。先前的研究表明，早期家庭数学经历是一年级女生数学成绩的重要预测因子，并在社会经济地位与数学成绩之间起中介作用。本研究将探讨在控制社会经济地位水平的情况下，这些女孩的早期数学经历是否对她们后来在五年级的数学成绩有任何长期影响。更广泛的影响：随着时间的推移，对女孩空间技能和数学技能之间关系的发展变化进行仔细分析，将为空间能力在女孩的STEM成功以及教育和职业选择和结果中发挥的关键作用提供非常需要的信息。这可能为如何更有效地教女孩发展空间推理技能并在解决数学问题时应用它们提供重要的教育线索，其总体目标是扩大女孩在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.