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Reconceptualizing working memory in academic learning and educational research
Author(s)
Date Issued
2021
Citation
Wen, Z. (2021 May 29). Reconceptualizing working memory in academic learning and educational research. 2021 Faculty of Education Postgraduate Research Symposium, Macau.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Working memory (WM) refers to our cognitive capacity to temporarily and
simultaneously store and process a limited amount of information in our mind to
complete some ongoing mental tasks. Inspired by previous research in cognitive science,
the past decades have also witnessed an increasing body of empirical studies exploring
the role WM plays in academic learning, going as far as to the claim that WM is a better
predictor than intelligence. Empirical evidence accumulating from both individual
studies and systematic meta-analyses is pointing to significant albeit moderate effects
of WM on key aspects of academic learning, including language learning, mathematics,
logical thinking, and problem-solving. The current talk sets out to synthesize these
emerging results and findings lending support to an integrated account of WM in
academic learning. Thus, I call for collaborative work among multiple disciplines to reconceptualize WM as a multi-dimensional, complex, dynamic, and adaptive cognitive
resource system that modulates and shapes aspects of high-level human cognition.
Towards the end, I tease out the theoretical and methodological ramifications of the
integrated framework for theory construction, assessment procedures, syllabus design,
classroom instruction, and intervention solutions.
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