Dynamic assessment of spatial working memory: The effects of mediation on spatial working memory, analogical thinking, and readiness for math among kindergarten and Grade 1 children

The study's objectives are to present a novel dynamic assessment (DA) of spatial working memory (SWM) and examine the effects of SWM training (SWMT) on analogical thinking and readiness for math among kindergarten and Grade 1 children. We conducted two studies (Study 1, n = 252; Study 2, n = 241) using the Children's Spatial Working Memory (CSWM) test, the Children's Analogical Thinking Modifiability-Closed Analogies (CATM-CL) test, and the Math Readiness Test (MART). In both studies, we examined the effects of SWMT on SWM and analogical thinking. Children were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Both groups were administered the CSWM and the CATM-CL tests before and after a short-term training phase. Children in the experimental group received SWMT for 40 min, while children in the control group received mediation of analogical thinking using the Construction Analogies of the Children’s Conceptual and Perceptual Modifiability measure. The findings showed that children in the experimental group demonstrated significantly improved SWM scores from pre- to post- intervention compared to those in the control group. As expected, the SWMT was transferred to math readiness (Study 2). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that SWM had a statistically significant effect in predicting analogical thinking modifiability, and that analogical thinking modifiability, in turn, had a statistically significant effect on predicting the modifiability of math readiness. The findings were explained by DA theory and recent research.