title: Explaining the relationship between number line estimation and mathematical achievement: The role of visuomotor integration and visuospatial skills.
abstract: Performance on number line tasks, typically used as a measure of numerical representations, are reliably related to children's mathematical achievement. However, recent debate has questioned what precisely performance on the number line estimation task measures. Specifically, there has been a suggestion that this task may measure not only numerical representations but also proportional judgment skills; if this is the case, then individual differences in visuospatial skills, not just the precision of numerical representations, may explain the relationship between number line estimation and mathematical achievement. The current study investigated the relationships among visuospatial skills, visuomotor integration, number line estimation, and mathematical achievement. In total, 77 children were assessed using a number line estimation task, a standardized measure of mathematical achievement, and tests of visuospatial skills and visuomotor integration. The majority of measures were significantly correlated. In addition, the relationship between one metric from the number line estimation task (R(2)LIN) and mathematical achievement was fully explained by visuomotor integration and visuospatial skill competency. These results have important implications for understanding what the number line task measures as well as the choice of number line metric for research purposes.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Ulster University, Coleraine, Londonderry BT52 1SA, UK. Electronic address: v.simms@ulster.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Simms
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 6TP, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clayton
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cragg
authors.affiliation: Mathematics Education Centre, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 6TP, UK.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: General cognitive skills; Mathematical achievement; Number line estimation; Numerical representations; Visuomotor integration; Visuospatial skills