Korbinian Moeller

Loughborough University | Lough · Mathematics Education Centre

Have you ever wondered how we—as humans—think? Interestingly, while our thinking seems limitless, some scientists argue it relies on something quite ordinary: the human body. This is based on recent research on what is called embodied cognition. This research explores how our thinking is closely tied to our bodily experiences. In this article, we w...

Teachers' information and communication technology (ICT) competences are considered key to better integrate ICT in their teaching and learning approaches. Accordingly, several national and international studies aimed at evaluating teachers' ICT competences. However, most previous studies focused on secondary school teachers and also hardly differen...

In order processing, consecutive sequences (e.g., 1‐2‐3) are generally processed faster than nonconsecutive sequences (e.g., 1‐3‐5) (also referred to as the reverse distance effect). A common explanation for this effect is that order processing operates via a memory‐based associative mechanism whereby consecutive sequences are processed faster beca...

The acquisition of part-whole understanding is considered to be fundamental in early mathematical education. However, recent research indicated that analogue and digital learning environments largely fail to offer systematic approaches to promote part-whole understanding. Therefore, we are currently developing a digital learning resource (DLR) t...

Teachers’ information and communication technology (ICT) competences are considered key to better integrate ICT in their teaching and learning approaches. Accordingly, several national and international studies aimed at evaluating teachers’ ICT competences. However, most previous studies focused on secondary school teachers and also hardly differen...

Both adults and children are slower at judging the ordinality of non-consecutive sequences (e.g., 1-3-5) than consecutive sequences (e.g., 1-2-3). It has been suggested that the processing of non-consecutive sequences is slower because it conflicts with the intuition that only count-list sequences are correctly ordered. An alternative explanation,...

Designing a good game is hard. Designing a learning game might be even harder as it requires engaging game elements to be aligned with the respective learning content. However, when this alignment is successful—referred to as intrinsic integration—games become effective tools for learning. In this article, the idea of collectible content is introdu...

Fraction understanding is a significant predictor of future math achievement. In addition to more traditional instruction, digital game-based approaches have been found successful in facilitating conceptual understanding of fractions (including aspects such as part-whole relations represented as pie-charts, or measurement, i.e., magnitude in terms...

Even though game elements can increase motivation and engagement, they also might distract learners and thereby decrease performance and learning outcomes. In the current study, we investigated the effects of intrinsically integrated game elements on performance and learning outcomes. In a pre-post training study, 85 adult participants were randoml...

The use of game elements in learning tasks is thought to facilitate emotional and behavioral responses as well as learner engagement. So far, however, little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms of game-based learning. In the current study, we added game elements to a number line estimation task assessing fraction understanding and compa...

According to PISA results, Kosovo students performed worst in Europe and in the bottom three out of all 77 participating countries. It may be due to the discrepancy between PISA's focus on problem-solving and Kosovo's explicit pedagogical mode of instruction. Here, we present initial findings from an ongoing project, which aims to support educators...

Finger-based representation of numbers is a high-level cognitive strategy to assist numerical and arithmetic processing in children and adults. It is unclear whether this paradigm builds on simple perceptual features or comprises several attributes through embodiment. Here we describe the development and initial testing of an experimental setup to...

Background: What, exactly, do number line estimation (NLE) tasks measure? Different versions of the task were observed to have different effects on performance. Method: We investigated associations between the production (indicating the location) and perception version (indicating the number) of the bounded and unbounded NLE task and their relat...

Fraction understanding seems a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is an important predictor of later mathematical achievement. On the other hand, it is also one of the topics students struggle most in secondary math education. To complement traditional instruction, digital learning games were developed and found to successfully foster fraction...

The ubiquity of mobile devices has made mobile touchscreen interaction a promising avenue for learning. Although children start using educational apps from early age, only a few apps adhere to interaction design recommendations and undergo empirical evaluation of their educational potential. In this paper, we describe the concept and design of an a...

Numerical magnitude information is assumed to be spatially represented in the form of a mental number line defined with respect to a body-centred, egocentric frame of reference. In this context, spatial language skills such as mastery of verbal descriptions of spatial position (e.g., in front of, behind, to the right/left) have been proposed to be...

Recent research indicated that fraction understanding is an important predictor of later mathematical achievement. In the current study we investigated associations between basic numerical skills and students’ fraction processing. We analyzed data of 939 German secondary school students (age range = 11.92 to 18.00 years) and evaluated the determina...

A growing body of research suggests that basic numerical abilities such as number magnitude and number parity processing are influenced by cognitive control. So far, however, evidence for number processing being influenced by cognitive control came primarily from observed adaptations to stimulus set characteristics (e.g., ratio or order of specific...

Arithmetic fact retrieval has been suggested to recruit a left-lateralized network comprising perisylvian language areas, parietal areas such as the angular gyrus (AG), and non-neocortical structures such as the hippocampus. However, the underlying white matter connectivity of these areas has not been evaluated systematically so far. Using simple m...

Math anxiety is defined as negative feelings associated with mathematical tasks in educational but also real-life situations. Evidence shows that math anxiety negatively affects the ability to solve mathematical tasks. Game-based learning has proven to be an effective approach to improve attitudes toward math. This study looked at the effects of a...

Computerized systems are taking on increasingly complex tasks. Consequently, monitoring automated computerized systems is becoming increasingly demanding for human operators, which is particularly relevant in time-critical situations. A possible solution might be adapting human–computer interfaces (HCI) to the operators’ cognitive load. Here, we pr...

The process of number symbolization is assumed to be critically influenced by the acquisition of so-called verbal number skills (e.g., verbally reciting the number chain and naming Arabic numerals). For the acquisition of these verbal number skills, verbal and visuospatial skills are discussed as contributing factors. In this context, children’s ve...

Objective: Computerized neglect tests could significantly deepen our disorder-specific knowledge by effortlessly providing additional behavioral markers that are hardly or not extractable from existing paper-and-pencil versions. This study investigated how testing format (paper versus digital), and screen size (small, medium, large) affect the Cen...

It is still a matter of scientific debate whether the line bisection bias frequently observed in patients with spatial neglect is due to attentional underawareness of the left end of the line, attentional hyperattention towards the right end, or a logarithmically compressed perception of the line. To address this question, neglect patients who show...

Die Gestaltung von Lernumgebungen, die unterschiedliche Lernpotenziale fordern und fördern, ist eine Kernaufgabe schulischer Bildungsprozesse. Die Frage, welche Gestaltungselemente einer Lernumgebung sich für welche Lernenden unter welchen Bedingungen als wirksam erweisen und wie eine Implementation dieser Elemente in die Praxis gelingen kann, ist...

The poster describes the results of a re-analysis of previous data ( https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.27.465904 ) using Bayesian Hypothesis Testing.

Die empirische Lehr-Lern-Forschung geht davon aus, dass eine lernförderliche Gestaltung digitaler Lern- und Lehr-Medien auf die Art und Weise abgestimmt sein muss, wie Menschen Informationen verarbeiten und im Gedächtnis speichern.

Numerical magnitude information is assumed to be spatially represented in the form of a mental number line defined with respect to a body-centred, egocentric frame of reference. In this context, spatial language skills such as mastery of verbal descriptions of spatial position (e.g., in front of, behind, to the right/left) have been proposed to be...

All around the world, there are numerous academic competitions (e.g., “Academic Olympiads”) and corresponding training courses to foster students’ competences and motivation. But do students’ competences and motivation really benefit from such courses? We developed and evaluated a course that was designed to prepare third and fourth graders to part...

Math anxiety (MA) seems to result from an interaction of genetic vulnerability with negative experiences learning mathematics. Although mathematics achievement does not substantially differ between the sexes, MA levels are usually higher in girls. Molecular genetic markers of MA vulnerability have been seldom explored. This article examines the con...

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: In zahlreichen Studien wurden inzwischen die Zusammenhänge zwischen Feinmotorik, Fingergnosie und frühen mathematischen Fähigkeiten untersucht. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, einen Überblick über diese Studien zu geben und diese qualitativ dahingehend auszuwerten, für welche mathematischen Fähigkeitsbereiche bere...

Most children use their fingers when learning to count and calculate. These sensorimotor experiences were argued to underlie reported behavioral associations of finger gnosis and counting with mathematical skills. On the neural level, associations were assumed to originate from overlapping neural representations of fingers and numbers. This study e...

There is increasing effort to integrate Computational Thinking (CT) curricula across all education levels. Therefore, research on CT assessment has lately progressed towards developing and validating reliable CT assessment tools, which are crucial for evaluating students' potential learning progress and thus the effectiveness of suggested curricula...

Basic numerical skills underlie children’s numerical development. In this follow-up study, we investigated the associations between the development of counting, cardinality understanding, and awareness of structures in quantities in children at the age of 4;7 and 5;3 years. We assumed that the ability to consider structures in quantities should all...

A growing body of research suggests that basic numerical abilities such as number magnitude processing are influenced by cognitive control processes. So far, evidence for number processing being affected by cognitive control processes stems primarily from observed adaptations of numerical effects to stimulus set characteristics (e.g. order or ratio...

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides reliable results for determining cognitive load based on averaged cortical blood flow during multiple repetitions of short cognitive tasks. At the same time, it remains unclear how to use this technique for assessing cognitive load during prolonged single-trial activity. In this study, we used...

Through repeated use of fingers for counting and representing numerical magnitudes in early childhood, specific finger patterns become associated with mental representations of specific quantities. Although children as young as three years of age already use their fingers for representing numerical quantities, evidence on advantageous recognition o...

Bisherige Studien zeigten wiederholt, dass basale fingersensorische und -motorische Fähigkeiten wie Fingergnosie und Fingerbeweglichkeit mit numerischen Fähigkeiten assoziiert sind. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden beide Prädiktoren erstmalig gemeinsam im Hinblick auf ihre Bedeutung für frühe Rechenfähigkeiten im Vorschulalter untersucht. Die Erge...

Background: There is evidence indicating beneficial effects of mental simulation on athletic and musical performance. We evaluated whether such beneficial effects of mental simulation generalize to the cognitive domain in terms of embodied (finger-based) numerical representations. Methods: We assessed 70 preschoolers (36 girls, mean age 5;9) on...

Arithmetic fact retrieval has been suggested to recruit a left-lateralized network comprising perisylvian language areas, parietal areas such as the angular gyrus (AG), and subcortical structures such as the hippocampus. However, the underlying white matter connectivity of these areas has not been evaluated systematically so far. Using simple multi...

Finger use plays an important role in the development of cognitive (e.g., numerical) concepts. Such embodied relationship between fingers and numbers persists even into adulthood when fingers are typically no longer used for counting. Better understanding how this embodied relationship builds up and plays out is a relevant and ongoing endeavor. To...

Recently, it was demonstrated that even basic numerical cognition such as the processing of number magnitude is under cognitive control. However, evidence so far primarily came from adaptation effects to stimulus characteristics (e.g., relative frequency of specific stimulus categories). Expanding this approach, we evaluated a possible influence of...

Early visual-spatial abilities (VSA) were suggested to comply with a two-by-two structure differentiating between intrinsic-extrinsic and static-dynamic dimensions that follow hierarchical development. However, recent studies revealed inconsistencies regarding the structure and development of VSA for different test modes (i.e., tablet-based and non...

Old age is critically associated with multi-morbidity, chronic pain, and high risk for dementia. Recognizing and treating pain is very much dependent on language comprehension and production. Both may be impaired in dementia. Moreover, neuropsychiatric symptoms may interact with pain perception. The main aims of the present article were 1) to ident...

Basic numerical abilities such as number line estimation have been observed repeatedly to be associated with mathematical achievement. Recently, it was argued that the association between basic numerical abilities and mathematical achievement is fully mediated by visuospatial abilities. However, arithmetical abilities have not yet been considered a...

In 2011, Cohen and Blanc-Goldhammer introduced a new unbounded version of the number line estimation task which they argued to overcome limitations of its 'traditional' bounded counterpart. In line with this proposition, there is increasing evidence that the unbounded number line estimation task may indeed reflect a purer measure of the underlying...

Accumulating evidence identifies emotions as drivers of effective learning. In parallel, game-based learning was found to emotionally engage learners, allegedly harnessing the fundamental tie between emotions and cognition. Questioning further whether and how game-based learning elicit emotional processes, the current fMRI study examined the neurof...

Computerization of diagnostic neglect tests can deepen our knowledge of neglect specific abnormalities, by effortlessly providing additional behavioral markers that are hardly extractable from existing paper-and-pencil versions. However, so far it is not known whether the digitization and/or a change in size format impact neglect patients' search b...

Digital media influence writing habits and processes to an extent that raises the question of whether computer-based approaches are comparably suitable for assessing writing skills as handwriting-based assessments. In this study, we examined the influence of writing mode (i.e., handwriting vs. keyboard typing) on text production (i.e., spelling ac...

Language and numerical development are associated in early childhood. In the present study, we focused on the association of the development of children’s cardinality understanding of small numbers and their knowledge on unspecific quantifiers (i.e., many, a few). In a longitudinal study, we pursued the research question whether children’s knowledg...

There is consistent evidence that symbolic abilities predict later mathematical achievement, whereas findings for non-symbolic abilities are more inconsistent. However, in previous research non-symbolic abilities were primarily considered as acuity of the approximate number system. In this study, we conceptualized symbolic and non-symbolic abilitie...

Brazilian students' mathematical achievement was repeatedly observed to fall below average levels of mathematical attainment in international studies such as PISA. Objective: In this article, we argue that this general low level of mathematical attainment may interfere with the diagnosis of developmental dyscalculia when a psychometric criterion...

Serious games have become an important tool to train individuals in a range of different skills. Importantly, serious games or gamified scenarios allow for simulating realistic time-critical situations to train and also assess individual performance. In this context, determining the user’s cognitive load during (game-based) training seems crucial f...

Previous research repeatedly found basic numerical abilities (e.g., magnitude understanding, arithmetic fact knowledge, etc.) to predict young students' current and later arithmetic achievement as assessed by achievement tests – even when controlling for the influence of domain-general abilities (e.g., intelligence, working memory). However, to the...

Serious games have become an important tool to train individuals in a range of different skills. Importantly, serious games or gamified scenarios allow for simulating realistic time-critical situations to train and also assess individual performance. In this context, determining the user’s cognitive load during (game-based) training seems crucial f...

Digital technology has an increasing influence on writing processes. In this context, the question arises whether changes in writing mode (i.e., handwriting vs. computer‐keyboard typing) also require changes in writing assessments. However, data directly comparing writing mode influences in children with and without developmental writing deficits a...

Zusammenfassung: Lernspiele gewinnen auch in der Schule zunehmend an Bedeutung als motiva tionsförderliche Lehr und Lernmethode. In einer Feldstudie mit 256 Schülerinnen und Schülern der siebten Schulstufe wurde daher untersucht i) inwiefern sich grundlegende Effekte der For schung zu numerischer Kognition mit einem digitalen Lernspiel zur Messung...

Assessment of cognitive load is a major step towards adaptive interfaces. However, non-invasive assessment is rather subjective as well as task specific and generalizes poorly, mainly due to methodological limitations. Additionally, it heavily relies on performance data like game scores or test results. In this study, we present an eye-tracking app...

Inclusion of game elements in learning environments to increase motivation and learning outcome is becoming increasingly popular. However, underlying mechanisms of game-based learning have not been studied sufficiently yet. In the present study, we investigated effects of game-based learning environments on a neurofunctional level. In particular, 5...

Early numeracy is a robust predictor of later mathematical abilities. So far, early numeracy has typically been presented as a unitary or two-factorial construct. Nevertheless, there is recent evidence suggesting that it may also be reflected by more basic numerical competences. However, the structure and stability of such a multifactorial model of...

Children increasingly use computing devices. However, it is unclear whether they have basic knowledge of security-related issues such as computer viruses and, in case they do not, what they can learn about them. It was found previously that Czech 8-year-olds have only limited knowledge of computer viruses, but neither naïveunderstanding of older ch...

Children increasingly use computing devices. However, it is unclear whether they have basic knowledge of security-related issues such as computer viruses and, in case they do not, what they can learn about them. In this study, we first examined preconceptions of computer viruses among Czech and German primary school students using a newly developed...