Success in learning mathematics and individual characteristics of students’ cognitive activity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/1992-6464-2026-219-59-72Keywords:
success in learning mathematics, individual characteristics of cognitive activity, late adolescents, solving mathematical problems presented in different forms, forms of information representationAbstract
Introduction. This article examines the relationship between individual characteristics of cognitive activity and success in learning mathematics. Unlike most studies, the authors define success not in terms of academic performance, but as the ability to solve problems presented in different forms. The form of presentation is regarded as a fundamental condition for understanding, since problem solving constitutes the core activity in mathematics learning. A review of the literature shows that existing studies primarily focus on the influence of specific characteristics of cognitive activity on success in learning mathematics, but do not address the relationships between characteristics operating at different levels. This study has two main objectives: first, to identify the relationships between students’ individual characteristics of cognitive activity operating at different levels that are associated with successful mathematics learning; and second, to determine which of these characteristics are linked to success, defined as the ability to solve mathematical problems presented in various forms of information representation.
Materials and Methods. The study involved 169 participants: high school and university students from different cities of Russia (St Petersburg, Kazan, Moscow, Petrozavodsk). The university students were enrolled in programs in various fields of study, including economics, accounting, educational psychology, international relations, preschool education, mathematics, and computer science. A set of assessment methods was employed to identify various levels of individual characteristics of cognitive activity.
Results. A number of relationships were identified between the characteristics of cognitive activity. The study also established and empirically substantiated a relationship between success in solving problems presented in different forms and specific individual characteristics of cognitive activity. In particular, the relationship between VARK styles and success in solving problems presented in the verbal and graphical forms was found to be especially strong.
Conclusions. The findings make it possible to refine the assessment of individual characteristics relevant to learning. In particular, when evaluating individual characteristics of cognitive activity that influence successful mathematical problem solving, greater emphasis should be placed on measures of field dependence/field independence and dominant perceptual modalities. In the educational process, preferred forms of information presentation should be taken into account both by students when solving problems and by teachers when designing educational materials.
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