Investigating the relationship between Visual- spatial Processing and working memory with creativity and math anxiety: mediation of math self-efficacy and social intelligence

In this study, the relationship between spatial visual observation and working memory with creativity and math anxiety has been investigated through mediation of mathematical self-efficacy and social intelligence among female students.

The method is correlation with a path analysis. A total of 477 students were selected randomly from a multi-stage cluster randomly from all female students of fifth grade elementary school in public schools in Tehran during the academic year of 2017-18. Students were examined by the non-verbal creativity questionnaire of Torrance Form A, MARS-R Mathematic Anxiety Scale, working Memory for Children (SMBK), Liv, Kivevala and May,s Mental Self-Efficacy, Traumous Social Intelligence (TSIS), and Processing Test Binet's spatial visualization completed. In order to analyze the data, Pearson correlation and path analysis were used .

Based on the proposed model (RMSEA = 0.001), in this study, Visual- spatial Processing variables were only indirectly mediated by social intelligence and math self-efficacy variables on math anxiety (P-value <0.05, = β) and showed a relationship with social intelligence mediating with creativity (P-value <0.05). Also, the working memory variable was displayed only directly (P-value = 0.03, β = 099) with creativity.

Considering the confirmation of the main goal of this study, one can mention the two variables of social intelligence and mathematical self-efficacy as the variables that influence the educational priorities of the educational system in order to increase creativity and reduce the math anxiety