Morris, Suzanne Catherine;
(2020)
Evaluating achievement on mathematics and science problems: The role of global and local processing.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This thesis sought to clarify relationships between whole-part constructs; where responses are thought to reflect a focus on the whole stimulus or context, or on individual elements (the parts). Children aged 5 to 10 years completed a number of tasks allowing developmental changes to be measured on a cross-sectional and longitudinal basis. Global and local processing tasks (Navon tasks: free choice, selective attention, and divided attention) revealed a change in response patterns between the ages of 6 and 7 years, the precise nature of which varied depending on the attentional demands of the task. Field independence tasks (Children’s Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) and Design Organisation Test (DOT)) revealed that children became more field independent with increasing age. A parental questionnaire measuring systemizing (the analysis or construction of a rule-based system) was administered at a single timepoint and revealed no cross-sectional age-related changes. Behavioural tasks and eye-tracking technology were employed to understand possible mechanisms underlying field independence performance. Visuospatial IQ and working memory explained variation on both field independence tasks. Higher accuracy on the CEFT reflected fewer and shorter fixations on distractor areas as well as longer and more fixations on target areas. Better response inhibitory control related to higher disembedding accuracy, while better semantic inhibitory control related to fewer and shorter fixations on distractor areas. Together, these explain how domain-general factors contribute to performance on the CEFT. The second part of this thesis examined associations between whole-part constructs and mathematics and science achievement. Global and local processing and systemizing revealed few significant associations with the academic scores. Better field independence was associated with higher scores on both mathematics and science. After controlling for age and domain-general factors, the field independence tasks explained additional variance on specific mathematics and science tests, which likely reflect common processes involved in the tasks.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Evaluating achievement on mathematics and science problems: The role of global and local processing |
| Event: | University College London, Institute of Education |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2020. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | Global processing, Local processing, Mathematics, Science, Children, Development, Executive functions, Eye tracking |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10111005 |
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