Inhibitory control and mathematical problem-solving in low-achieving Moroccan sixth-grade students

Inhibitory control is one of the key executive functions thought to be involved in mathematical problem-solving; however, its relationship to problem-solving performance across different levels of difficulty remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between inhibitory control and performance on simple and difficult mathematical problems among 65 sixth-grade students with low mathematics achievement in Taounate, Morocco (38 boys, 27 girls; Mage = 11.8 years, SD = 0.67). The participants completed a mathematical problem-solving test and a Stroop interference task adapted for their age to assess interference inhibition time and number of errors. The results provided limited evidence of an association between inhibitory control and mathematical problem solving. Interference inhibition time was weakly associated with lower performance on difficult problems (r = −0.29, 95% CI [−0.50, −0.05]), but this relationship was no longer statistically significant after Holm correction (adjusted p = 0.076). No statistically significant association was found for simple problems, and the associations did not differ significantly between simple and difficult problems. These results suggest that the association between inhibitory control and mathematical problem solving was not strong in this sample. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the sample could reliably detect correlations of approximately r = 0.34 or larger, indicating limited sensitivity to weak associations. Further research is needed using larger samples and measures that distinguish between inhibitory control and processing speed.