Statistical Modeling of Migration Attractiveness of the EU Member States

Identifying the relationship between the migration attractiveness of the European Union countries and their level of socio-economic development is investigated. An approach is proposed identify influences on migration socio-economic characteristics, by aggregating and reducing their diversity, and substantiating the cause-and-effect relationships of the studied phenomenon. A stable classification of countries scheme is developed according to the attractiveness of migration on aggregate factors, and then an econometric model of a binary choice using panel data for 2008-2010 was applying, quantifying the impact of aggregate designed factors on immigration and emigration

Individual Differences in Learning Abilities: the Contribution of Behavioural Genetics.

In Russian (References in English

The issue of stability and change of general cognitive abilities in behavioural genetics.

In Russian (References in English

Spatial ability and spatial memory in high school students with different levels of mathematical fluency.

The study investigated spatial ability and visuo-spatial memory in groups of high school students with different levels of mathematical fluency. We used the Mental Rotation Task and Corsi Block-Tapping Task to measure spatial ability and visuo-spatial memory, respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups with different levels of math fluency in terms of effectiveness of spatial ability and level of visuo-spatial memory. Statistically significant sex differences were observed in levels of spatial ability and visuo-spatial memory: males showed better results than females. However, sex explained only between 1 and 3% of the variation in these abilities

Are the mechanisms underlying mathematical learning in mathematically-gifted students fundamentally different?

It is currently unknown whether the mechanisms underlying mathematical learning in mathematically talented children are fundamentally different from those in unselected students. For example, do mathematically gifted children have particularly well developed number sense? We administered a large battery of mathematical, spatial, and number sense tests to two groups of 16 year old Russian students: a representative sample of students from several standard public schools; and a unique sample of mathematically gifted children from 3 specialist schools for mathematically gifted children. For all of the measures, the mathematically gifted students showed significantly different distributions from those for the unselected sample. Significant differences between the groups were found in performance on most measures, and in the structure of the relationships among the measures. The results are discussed in terms of the role of spatial and number sense abilities in mathematical achievement, as well as genetic factors involved in mathematical learning

Development and validation of a mathematics-number sense web-based test battery.

This study aimed to create and validate a web-based battery of tests, age appropriate for 16 year-olds, and designed to assess mathematical skills, general cognitive abilities and number sense. The first stage of the study involved the selection of 11 measures and their administration to a sample of 100 16 year-old students, either in pen and paper format, or on computers. Guided by reliability analyses conducted on the first phase's data, 6 of these tests were selected and implemented online. The new battery revealed to be a reliable tool of assessment showing good internal validity and reliability for all the measures

The nature of the association between number line and mathematical performance: An international twin study

Background: The number line task assesses the ability to estimatenumerical magnitudes. People vary greatly in this abilityand this variability has been previously associated with mathematical skills. However, the sources of individual differences in number line estimation and its association with mathematics are not fully understood. Aims: This large scale genetically sensitive studyuses a twin design to estimate the magnitude of the effects of genes and environments on: (1) individualvariation in number line estimation and (2) the co-variation of number line estimation with mathematics. Samples: We used over3,0008-16 years-old twins from US, Canada,UK, and Russia, and a sample of 1,456 8-18 years-old singleton Russian students. Methods: Twins were assessed on: (1)estimation of numerical magnitudes using a numberline task and (2) two mathematics components: fluency and problemsolving. Results: Results suggest that environments largelydrive individual differences in numberline estimation.Both genes and environments contribute to different extents to the number line estimationandmathematics correlation, depending on the sample and mathematics component. Conclusions: Taken together, the results suggest that in more heterogeneous school settings, environments may be more important in driving variation in number line estimation and its associationwith mathematics, whereas in more homogeneous school settings, genetic effects drive the covariation between number line estimationand mathematics. These results are discussed in light of development and educational settings

Why children differ in motivation to learn: Insights from over 13,000 twins from 6 countries.

Little is known about why people differ in their levels of academic motivation. This study explored the etiology of individual differences in enjoyment and self-perceived ability for several school subjects in nearly 13,000 twins aged 9 to 16 from 6 countries. The results showed a striking consistency across ages, school subjects, and cultures. Contrary to common belief, enjoyment of learning and children’s perceptions of their competence were no less heritable than cognitive ability. Genetic factors explained approximately 40% of the variance and all of the observed twins’ similarity in academic motivation. Shared environmental factors, such as home or classroom, did not contribute to the twin’s similarityin academic motivation.Environmental influences stemmedentirely from individual specific experiences

Does symbolic and non-symbolic estimation ability predict mathematical achievement across primary school years?

The article presents the results of a longitudinal study of the association between number sense and success in learning mathematics in primary school. We analysed the data of 133 schoolchildren on two aspects of number sense related to the symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude estimation abilities and academic success in mathematics in third and fourth grade. The average age of schoolchildren during the first assessment was 9.82 ± 0.30; during the second assessment – 10.82 ± 0.30. For the analysis of interrelations, the cross-lagged method was used. It was shown that the reciprocal model best describes the data suggesting cross-lagged associations between number sense and the success in learning mathematics at primary school age. The results of the longitudinal analysis revealed differences in the relationship between the success in learning mathematics with the two aspects of number sense: academic success in third grade only predicted the indicator of number sense associated with the symbolic magnitude estimation ability in fourth grade. The differences in the age dynamics of the two aspects of number sense in primary school are also revealed: the indicator of number sense associated with the non-symbolic magnitude estimation ability was the most stable over time

Does symbolic and non-symbolic estimation ability predict mathematical achievement across primary school years?

The article presents the results of a longitudinal study of the association between number sense and success in learning mathematics in primary school. We analysed the data of 133 schoolchildren on two aspects of number sense related to the symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude estimation abilities and academic success in mathematics in third and fourth grade. The average age of schoolchildren during the first assessment was 9.82 ± 0.30; during the second assessment – 10.82 ± 0.30. For the analysis of interrelations, the cross-lagged method was used. It was shown that the reciprocal model best describes the data suggesting cross-lagged associations between number sense and the success in learning mathematics at primary school age. The results of the longitudinal analysis revealed differences in the relationship between the success in learning mathematics with the two aspects of number sense: academic success in third grade only predicted the indicator of number sense associated with the symbolic magnitude estimation ability in fourth grade. The differences in the age dynamics of the two aspects of number sense in primary school are also revealed: the indicator of number sense associated with the non-symbolic magnitude estimation ability was the most stable over time