Which Developmental Relationships Between Language, Mathematics and Working Memory Modulate the Influence of Linguistic Competences On Mathematical Learning in (Pre-)school Age?

Abstract

The developmental relationship between linguistic and mathematical skills is highly complex and not yet sufficiently understood. We used competence data of linguistically typical developed children from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) to further investigate interdependent influences of linguistic skills (grammar and vocabulary) as well as cognitive skills (central executive, phonological loop, indirect measures of working memory) and mathematical learning in the age range of 4 to 8 years (n = 354). Results reveal that over time especially grammatical skills impact mathematical learning. We also found evidence that language can play different roles within the interplay between cognitive skills and mathematical competences: In preschool age language represents a precondition for the performance of individual cognitive skills (central executive, phonological loop) that are closely related to mathematical learning. Language also mediates the influence of cognitive skills on mathematical learning during both, preschool and elementary school age. In addition, linguistic skills are a prerequisite for storing mathematical information particularly during preschool development.