Working Memory and Academic Performance Among Fifth and Sixth-Graders

Background: Working memory (verbal/visuospatial) underpins cognitive processes in complex learnings like Arabic and mathematics. its relationship with academic achievement in Arab early education, critical for foundational skill development, remains underexplored. Objective: This study examined associations between WM components (verbal/visuospatial capacity and processing) and academic performance (Arabic, mathematics, GPA) while exploring variations by topic-specific cognitive demands and assessing their relative impact. Methodology: A correlational design was employed with a sample of 60 fifth- and sixth-graders (30 males, 30 females) randomly selected from two public schools. Standardized WM assessments included the Digit Span (forward/backward) test for verbal WM and the Corsi Block-Tapping (forward/backward) test for visuospatial WM. Academic scores were obtained from official school records for the preceding semester. Data were analysed using Spearman’s correlation in SPSS v.26 due to non-normal distributions. Results: Verbal memory capacity was positively correlated with performance in Arabic (r=0.323, p=0.012), but showed no significant relationship with mathematics (r=0.138, p=0.295) or overall GPA (r=0.239, p=0.065). Verbal processing demonstrated strong positive correlations with Arabic (r=0.327, p=0.011), mathematics (r=0.555, p<0.001), and overall GPA (r=0.402, p=0.001). Visuospatial memory capacity did not exhibit significant correlations (Arabic: r=-0.025, p=0.847; mathematics: r=0.250, p=0.054; overall GPA: r=0.128, p=0.329), whereas visuospatial processing was positively correlated with mathematics (r=0.323, p=0.012) but not with Arabic (r=0.093, p=0.479) or overall GPA (r=0.175, p=0.181). Conclusion: The findings highlight that verbal processing supports academic performance across subjects, particularly in mathematics due to its reliance on verbal instructions, while visuospatial processing contributes to mathematical tasks. These results suggest the need for tailored educational interventions to enhance working memory components, with potential implications for improving academic achievement in Arabic-speaking contexts.