Effectiveness of the Easy Minds Educational Program on Executive Functions and Mathematics Self-Efficacy in Students with Mathematics Disorder
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Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Easy Minds educational program on executive functions and mathematics self-efficacy among students with mathematics disorder.
Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design with a two-month follow-up was conducted. The study population comprised students with mathematics disorder who were referred to the Learning Disorders Center of Bushehr Province during the 2023–2024 academic year. Forty-five eligible students were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, with 15 students in each group. Data were collected using the N-back Working Memory Test, Stroop Color-Word Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Mathematics Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. The experimental group received the Easy Minds educational program over 14 45-minute sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and post hoc tests.
Findings: Significant group × time effects were observed for working memory, F = 35.671, p < .01, η² = .43; selective attention, F = 38.842, p < .01, η² = .51; cognitive flexibility, F = 39.029, p < .01, η² = .43; and mathematics self-efficacy, F = 37.624, p < .01, η² = .51. Improvements in all variables remained stable at the two-month follow-up, whereas no comparable improvement was observed in the control group.
Conclusion: The Easy Minds educational program effectively improves executive functions and mathematics self-efficacy in students with mathematics disorder and may be considered a useful educational intervention in learning disorder settings.
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