Working Memory and Academic Performance of High School Students in Chittagong

Abstract

Working memory (WM) is the ability to retain and process information temporarily in order to complete difficult cognitive tasks which is regarded as one of the most important predictors of academic abilities. Children with poor working memory are more likely to have academic difficulties. However, no studies for high school students in Bangladesh have been found. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigated the relationship between working memory capacity and academic achievement of high school students. Moreover, it was also investigated the gender difference and academic achievment difference in working memory capacity. Purposive sampling was used to select 128 children (64 high and 64 low achiever) from six schools as participants. There were 32 boys and 32 girls in each group. The digit span backward test was used to assess working memory, and students' academic achievement was assessed using their school's first-term results. Pearson product moment correlation and two-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Working memory capacity was found to have a significant positive relationship with academic achievement. There was also a significant difference in working memory capacity between high and low academic performance. Furthermore, an interaction effect of gener and academic achievement was discovered. However, there was
¹ Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. 
² Teacher, Spectra School of Autism, Chittagong, Bangladesh. 
³ Student, Department of Psychology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
no significant gender difference in working memory capacity, indicating that both boys and girls had equal working memory capacity.