Individual differences in mathematical abilities and competencies

Mathematics is one of the core subjects in education and a critical factor in driving future life success. Thus, understanding how children learn to master numerical concepts and mathematical skills is of vital importance in the education domain. Behavioural outcomes on tasks are influenced by a variety of individual and shared (for example, contextual) factors. Individual factors, such as cognitive (for example, working memory), affective (for example, mathematical anxiety), and motivational aspects have been extensively studied in relation to children’s mathematical competencies. Similarly, contextual factors related to the perceived classroom environment, as well as cultural aspects (for example, exposure to early home activities) can also have serious impact on school performance in general, and specifically on mathematics achievement. In this chapter, we review some main sources of individual variability considered in the literature. We argue that multidimensional large scales studies are necessary to move the field forward.