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Exploring the Impact of Working Memory Capacity on Academic Reading and Achievement in South African Online Tertiary Students.

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Title: Exploring the Impact of Working Memory Capacity on Academic Reading and Achievement in South African Online Tertiary Students.
Authors: Harvey, Jaqueline (AUTHOR)
Source: Reading Psychology. Apr2025, Vol. 46 Issue 3, p271-293. 23p.
Subjects: Short-term memory, Academic achievement, Reading ability testing, Higher education, Digital learning
Abstract: The relationships between working memory, academic reading proficiency and academic achievement are well-documented globally, but less so in South Africa. This study addresses this gap by exploring these associations among 136 South African undergraduates from an Online Distance e-Learning institution. Participants completed two open-source web-based working memory tasks to evaluate working memory capacity and the online version of the Test of Academic Literacy Levels to examine their academic reading proficiency, while academic achievement was evaluated using their end-of-year grades. Results showed positive correlations between working memory capacity and academic reading proficiency (τ =.10, p =.050) and with academic achievement (τ =.16, p =.003). Thus, as working memory capacity increases so do academic reading proficiency and academic scores. With varying implications for higher education, this paper discusses pedagogical changes that lecturers can consider so as to take into account the diverse cognitive profiles of their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Reading Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Exploring the Impact of Working Memory Capacity on Academic Reading and Achievement in South African Online Tertiary Students.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Harvey%2C+Jaqueline%22">Harvey, Jaqueline</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Short-term+memory%22">Short-term memory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+achievement%22">Academic achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reading+ability+testing%22">Reading ability testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+learning%22">Digital learning</searchLink>
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  Data: The relationships between working memory, academic reading proficiency and academic achievement are well-documented globally, but less so in South Africa. This study addresses this gap by exploring these associations among 136 South African undergraduates from an Online Distance e-Learning institution. Participants completed two open-source web-based working memory tasks to evaluate working memory capacity and the online version of the Test of Academic Literacy Levels to examine their academic reading proficiency, while academic achievement was evaluated using their end-of-year grades. Results showed positive correlations between working memory capacity and academic reading proficiency (τ =.10, p =.050) and with academic achievement (τ =.16, p =.003). Thus, as working memory capacity increases so do academic reading proficiency and academic scores. With varying implications for higher education, this paper discusses pedagogical changes that lecturers can consider so as to take into account the diverse cognitive profiles of their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Reading Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/02702711.2024.2447228
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Short-term memory
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic achievement
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      – SubjectFull: Reading ability testing
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      – SubjectFull: Higher education
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      – SubjectFull: Digital learning
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      – TitleFull: Exploring the Impact of Working Memory Capacity on Academic Reading and Achievement in South African Online Tertiary Students.
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              Text: Apr2025
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