Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic: Typical and Atypical Cognitive Development—2nd Edition

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Cognition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1773

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon, 1649-013 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: literacy (the ability to read and write) acquisition; literacy predictors and the influence of orthographic consistency on the development of reading and spelling abilities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Egas Moniz Interdisciplinary Research Center (CiiEM), Egas Moniz University Institute (IUEM), Monte de Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal
Interests: orthographic knowledge; reading; writing development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Considering the interest sparked by the first edition of this Special Issue and the success it achieved, we are delighted to announce a second edition, entitled "Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic: Typical and Atypical Cognitive Development—Second Edition".

The goal of this Special Issue is to increase our understanding of how children acquire the proverbial three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Several cognitive skills such as phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge, and rapid automatized naming have been recognized as fundamental for reading and writing development. Likewise, number sense and counting have been pointed out as crucial for the development of arithmetic skills. Recent research has even suggested a considerable overlap in the cognitive predictors of reading, writing, and/or arithmetic skills. Clarifying cross- and within-domain predictors is important since they may carry significant implications for cognitive developmental theories and practice. Within this scope, we welcome contributions from research groups worldwide, focusing on the typical and/or atypical acquisition of reading, writing, and arithmetic skills.

We intend to select new empirical research and studies that use a systematic framework that has not been published elsewhere. Research issues may be addressed by employing quantitative methodologies or a systematic review may be provided on a topic of the three Rs.

Dr. Sandra Fernandes
Dr. Luís Querido
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reading
  • spelling
  • writing
  • arithmetic
  • development

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 290 KiB  
Article
Reading and Writing Development in Inclusive Settings: Teachers’ Perception of the Use of Digital Technology
by Lénia Carvalhais, Paula Vagos, Lídia Ferreira Cerejeira and Teresa Limpo
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(5), 682; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050682 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 183
Abstract
Reading and writing are foundational skills throughout school grades that could be improved using digital technology, especially in inclusive contexts. The present study aimed to understand primary teachers’ use of technology and their self-efficacy perception in the use of digital technology in inclusive [...] Read more.
Reading and writing are foundational skills throughout school grades that could be improved using digital technology, especially in inclusive contexts. The present study aimed to understand primary teachers’ use of technology and their self-efficacy perception in the use of digital technology in inclusive settings, considering their application of universal, selective, or additional measures. In total, 290 Portuguese primary school teachers (1st to 4th grades) aged 25 to 66 years old (M = 49.32, SD = 8.59), mostly female, filled in an online survey, comprising a sociodemographic sheet and four questionnaires related to digital technologies. The results show that most teachers apply measures within the inclusive education framework (n = 277). The sociodemographic and educational profiles of teachers who use or do not use those technologies were similar, as were teachers’ self-efficacy scores about using digital technologies, perception about the utility of those technologies, and use of them, overall and for reading and writing specifically. The more teachers consider themselves efficacious in using digital technologies and the more they hold a positive perception of those technologies, the more they report their use. These findings reinforce the influence of teachers’ internal factors, such as self-efficacy, on the use of digital technologies, independent of students’ specific difficulties. Full article
22 pages, 329 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Verbal Working Memory Intervention on the Reading Performance of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
by Mehmet Okur and Veysel Aksoy
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030356 - 13 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1144
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of verbal working memory (VWM) interventions on reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension in elementary school students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities (SLD). Given the limited research on the role of VWM in reading [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of verbal working memory (VWM) interventions on reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension in elementary school students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities (SLD). Given the limited research on the role of VWM in reading performance, this study fills a critical gap in the literature. A pre-test and post-test design was employed, with an experimental group (n = 14) receiving VWM interventions over 4 weeks, while the control group (n = 12) received no intervention. The intervention focused on enhancing VWM and verbal short-term memory (V-STM) through structured cognitive tasks, including rehearsal techniques and phonological loop strengthening activities, delivered over 24 sessions. Results showed that although VWM interventions significantly enhanced VWM capacity (t(24) = 3.39, p < 0.05, d = 1.48), they did not lead to significant improvements in reading speed or accuracy. However, a statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension was observed (p = 0.04, d = 0.92). These findings suggest that while enhancing VWM may not directly improve reading fluency, it can positively affect comprehension. The study highlights the importance of considering VWM in educational interventions targeting reading comprehension and recommends further research into other cognitive and linguistic factors influencing reading speed and accuracy. Additionally, future studies should explore the long-term effects of diverse intervention strategies on reading outcomes. Full article
Back to TopTop