A Study On The Spatial Visualization Ability Of Children With Different Subtypes Of Mathematics Learning Difficulties In Grades 4-6

Children with math difficulties(MD)always lag behind their normal performance on math tasks.MD can be divided into two subtypes according to whether there is dyslexia or not: mixed type of MD(with dyslexia)and simple type of MD(without dyslexia).Spatial visualization ability,as an important part of spatial ability,is the ability of people to perform a series of complex operations on representations in their minds.In order to explore whether the performance of spatial visualization ability test is different between children with MD and normal children and among children with MD of different subtypes.In this study,the spatial visualization ability test was complied and a formal test was formed through the analysis and modification after the initial test.Through factor analysis,the four dimensions of the test structure are further verified: pattern recognition,pattern combination,pattern rotation,and patter folding.The test has good structural stability and reliability.According to the screening criteria for children with different subtypes of MD,80 children with mixed MD and 97 children with pure MD were screened out of 1,177 children in grades 4-6.In the statistical analysis of the data in the spatial visualization ability test,the following main results were obtained:(1)Children from grade 4 to grade 6 had higher scores in the spatial visualization ability test.(2)The scores of each sub-component and the total score of the children with mathematical difficulties were significantly lower than those of the normal children on the spatial visualization ability test.The development trend of spatial visualization ability of the two types of children showed that except the folding and unfolding scores,the other sub-components and the total score all increased with the grade increasing.(3)The score of graphic recognition,rotation,folding and unfolding and the total score of the simplex children were significantly higher than those of the mixed children in the spatial visualization ability test.The development trend of spatial visualization ability of the two subtypes of numeral disabled children showed that in addition to the pattern recognition score,the other sub-components and the total score all increased with the grade increasing.(4)The scores of each sub-component and the total score of spatial visualizationability were positively correlated with the math scores.In the regression equation,the interpretation power of the spatial visualization ability test score was 20.9%.Conclusions: The overall level of spatial visualization ability of mathematically disabled children was lower than that of normal children,and the overall development trend of spatial visualization ability of the two types of children was consistent.The overall level of spatial visualization ability of children with mixed type was lower than that of children with simple type.The overall development trend of spatial visualization ability of children with mixed type was consistent.Spatial visualization ability has a strong predictive effect on math achievement.