Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic review
Mathematics has been the subject in which many school-age children have revealed many difficulties. Research carried out in an attempt to understand the causes of failure in this area pointed to a positive association between mathematical performance and motor performance. Given the importance of ma...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1105391/full |
| _version_ | 1828046259957530624 |
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| author | Pedro Flores Eduarda Coelho Eduarda Coelho Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal Pedro Forte Pedro Forte Pedro Forte |
| author_facet | Pedro Flores Eduarda Coelho Eduarda Coelho Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal Pedro Forte Pedro Forte Pedro Forte |
| author_sort | Pedro Flores |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mathematics has been the subject in which many school-age children have revealed many difficulties. Research carried out in an attempt to understand the causes of failure in this area pointed to a positive association between mathematical performance and motor performance. Given the importance of math development in future school outcomes, knowing which specific motor components are most associated with math performance can help educators define better strategies for teaching mathematics. In this sense, the present systematic review study aimed to identify the components of motor skills most positively associated with mathematical performance in children with typical development who attend preschool. The PRISMA methodology (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) was used in this study. The databases searched were ERIC, PubMED, SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science. A total of 2,909 articles were identified, of which 18 were included in this systematic review. The main results showed positive associations between fine motor skills, namely fine motor coordination and visuomotor integration, and mathematical performance. The math skill of numerical counting was the most associated with FMS. The main characteristics of the instruments used showed that the tasks of copying figures or drawings are the most used to assess visuomotor integration and the tasks of handling objects with pinch-like movements are the most used to assess fine motor coordination. Given the importance of mathematical performance in future school results, identifying early children with difficulties in fine motor skills will help educators to design better strategies for teaching mathematical skills. In this sense, the need to identify instruments to assess fine motor skills in preschool children with characteristics that facilitate their administration by the educator in the classroom context, i.e., requiring little administration time, not requiring much experience or training, the possibility of being administered to the group/class, few material resources, and the results can be easily interpreted, classified, and associated with mathematical performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:24:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f30e3f2dc2a7420bbc1f2529c7482a3b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:24:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f30e3f2dc2a7420bbc1f2529c7482a3b2023-02-02T06:31:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-02-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.11053911105391Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic reviewPedro Flores0Eduarda Coelho1Eduarda Coelho2Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal3Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal4Pedro Forte5Pedro Forte6Pedro Forte7Sports Department, Higher Institute of Education and Sciences of the Douro, Penafiel, PortugalSports Department, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, PortugalResearch Center in Sports, Health and Human Development, Covilhã, PortugalSports Department, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, PortugalResearch Center in Sports, Health and Human Development, Covilhã, PortugalSports Department, Higher Institute of Education and Sciences of the Douro, Penafiel, PortugalSports Department, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, PortugalResearch Center in Sports, Health and Human Development, Covilhã, PortugalMathematics has been the subject in which many school-age children have revealed many difficulties. Research carried out in an attempt to understand the causes of failure in this area pointed to a positive association between mathematical performance and motor performance. Given the importance of math development in future school outcomes, knowing which specific motor components are most associated with math performance can help educators define better strategies for teaching mathematics. In this sense, the present systematic review study aimed to identify the components of motor skills most positively associated with mathematical performance in children with typical development who attend preschool. The PRISMA methodology (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) was used in this study. The databases searched were ERIC, PubMED, SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science. A total of 2,909 articles were identified, of which 18 were included in this systematic review. The main results showed positive associations between fine motor skills, namely fine motor coordination and visuomotor integration, and mathematical performance. The math skill of numerical counting was the most associated with FMS. The main characteristics of the instruments used showed that the tasks of copying figures or drawings are the most used to assess visuomotor integration and the tasks of handling objects with pinch-like movements are the most used to assess fine motor coordination. Given the importance of mathematical performance in future school results, identifying early children with difficulties in fine motor skills will help educators to design better strategies for teaching mathematical skills. In this sense, the need to identify instruments to assess fine motor skills in preschool children with characteristics that facilitate their administration by the educator in the classroom context, i.e., requiring little administration time, not requiring much experience or training, the possibility of being administered to the group/class, few material resources, and the results can be easily interpreted, classified, and associated with mathematical performance.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1105391/fullchildrenpreschoolmotor skillsmath skillsmathematical performance |
| spellingShingle | Pedro Flores Eduarda Coelho Eduarda Coelho Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal Pedro Forte Pedro Forte Pedro Forte Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic review Frontiers in Psychology children preschool motor skills math skills mathematical performance |
| title | Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic review |
| title_full | Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic review |
| title_short | Association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development: Systematic review |
| title_sort | association between motor and math skills in preschool children with typical development systematic review |
| topic | children preschool motor skills math skills mathematical performance |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1105391/full |
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