Abstracts - Earli

assistance, executive assistance or intention to avoid assistance was evaluated by a questionnaire.Results showed for the intention to use assistance that: (1) Mastery goals were positivelyassociated with instrumental assistance and influenced negatively executive assistance, (2)Performance approach goals and performance-avoidance goals influenced positively executiveassistance, (3) Performance approach goals and performance-avoidance goal influence positivelyintention to avoid assistance. For the actual help, the results show that (1) Mastery goals werepositively associated with instrumental assistance before feedback and influenced positivelyexecutive assistance, (2) Performance-avoidance goal influence negatively executive assistance.Finally, only a significant relationship was found between intention to use instrumental assistanceand the actual use of instrumental assistance. But this relation was mainly due to mastery goal.Future research should investigate the effects of goal orientations on the differences existingbetween the intentions to use assistance and to use actual assistance in ILE.A 1228 August 2007 15:00 - 17:00Room: 4.95SymposiumWorking memory and individual differences in arithmeticChair: Joke Torbeyns, K.U.Leuven, BelgiumOrganiser: Joke Torbeyns, K.U.Leuven, BelgiumOrganiser: Bert De Smedt, K.U.Leuven, BelgiumDiscussant: Maria Chiara Passolunghi, University of Trieste, ItalyNumber and arithmetic are essential components of our everyday life. Impairments in thedevelopment of children’s numerical and arithmetic skills consequently put serious constraints ontheir functioning, not only in school but also in out-of-school contexts. Therefore, cognitive andeducational psychologists have extensively studied the variables that might influence thedevelopment of these skills. In particular, working memory has been put forward as an importantcognitive factor that contributes to children’s development in number and arithmetic (LeFevre etal., 2005; Pickering & Phye, 2006). This symposium covers five empirical studies and onediscussion paper that aim at deepening our understanding of the relation between children’sworking memory competencies and (the development of) their mathematical skills. The paperscover various aspects of children’s working memory: the phonological loop and the visuo-spatialsketchpad (i.e. short-term memory storage), the central executive, speed of processing, and speedof counting. The papers also address different sub-domains of mathematics education, rangingfrom single-digit addition to multi-digit arithmetic and context problems. Furthermore, the relationbetween children’s working memory capacities and mathematical skills is analysed in bothnormally achieving children and children with mathematical difficulties. The authors use diverseand sophisticated methods for gathering and analysing data, such as the ability-level match design,the dual-task paradigm, the choice/no-choice method, the integration of correlational andexperimental research methodologies, and targeted interventions. Next to these theoretical andmethodological contributions, all papers clearly discuss the educational significance of the resultsand offer guidelines for the optimisation of current practices in mathematics instruction.– 36 –