Brainwaves and higher-order thinking: An EEG study of cognitive engagement in mathematics tasks

Mohamed, Norliza; Saleh, Salmiza · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.29333/iejme/16889

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the neural correlates of cognitive engagement in mathematics education, specifically focusing on Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). Motivated by the persistent struggle Malaysian students face with HOTS-based tasks despite curricular reforms, the research aims to bridge the gap between policy and practice by using electroencephalography (EEG) to objectively measure cognitive load and engagement. The study addresses the lack of neurophysiological data in educational research, which traditionally relies on behavioral assessments that fail to capture real-time cognitive processes. The researchers employed a quantitative true experimental design with 24 secondary school students, stratified into high, moderate, and low achievers based on prior performance. Participants were assigned to either an experimental group completing HOTS tasks or a control group performing non-HOTS routine tasks. Brain activity was recorded for 30 minutes using an 8-channel EEG system, with data analyzed via Neuron-Spectrum.NET to extract power spectral densities in beta (13–30 Hz), alpha (8–12 Hz), and theta (4–7 Hz) frequency bands across frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. The findings reveal distinct neurocognitive patterns associated with achievement levels. High-achieving students exhibited strong beta wave activity in the prefrontal cortex, indicating efficient executive function and logical reasoning, along with stable alpha waves suggesting controlled focus. Moderate achievers demonstrated increased alpha and beta activity in the occipital region, reflecting a reliance on visual-spatial processing to compensate for working memory challenges. Low-achieving students showed heightened frontal theta activity, a neurological signature of cognitive overload and working memory exhaustion. Additionally, low achievers in the HOTS group displayed elevated alpha peak frequencies, associated with reduced cognitive control and inefficient neural inhibition. The study also found that HOTS tasks promoted more efficient neural adaptation compared to routine tasks, as evidenced by lower alpha peak frequencies in the experimental group across all achievement levels. These results provide empirical, brain-based evidence for designing neuroscience-informed pedagogical interventions. The study concludes that instructional strategies should be tailored to students’ cognitive profiles: high achievers benefit from open-ended problems that sustain beta-wave engagement; moderate achievers require visual-spatial scaffolding to support parietal processing; and low achievers need chunked, step-by-step instructions to mitigate theta-wave associated cognitive overload. By integrating EEG insights into curriculum design and teacher training, educators can develop personalized learning approaches that align with students’ neurodevelopmental readiness, thereby enhancing mathematical reasoning and problem-solving competencies.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-nvidia on 2026-08-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• neuro workload indices