Professor OUYANG Xiangzi, Olivia

Dr. Ouyang earned her Ph.D. degree in Educational Psychology from the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. After completing her doctorate, she served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at the same institution. In August 2023, she joined Lingnan University. Her research primarily focuses on children's cognitive development, with a particular emphasis on understanding the cognitive and environmental factors influencing children's mathematical learning, academic emotions, and mathematical learning difficulties. Additionally, Dr. Ouyang has a keen interest in the application of psychological statistics and psychometrics, especially in their applications to children's cognitive development.

Research

• Cognitive development
• Children’s mathematical learning
• Home learning environments
• Math emotions
• Statistics and psychometrics focusing on applications

Publications

Yip, C. C. H., Ouyang, X., Yip, E. S. K., Tong, C. K. Y., & Wong, T. T. Y. (2025). Distinct roles of cognitive and mathematics skills in different levels of mathematics development. Learning and Individual Differences, 119, 102645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102645

Ouyang, X., & Chan, W. W. L. (2025). The Interrelations between home numeracy activities, children's attitudes toward mathematics, and their mathematics achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 70, 19-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.08.008 

Ouyang, X., Zou, X., & Zhang, X. (2024). General cognitive and numerical precursors of mathematical difficulty in kindergarten children at risk for dyscalculia. Learning and Individual Differences, 114, 102514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102514

Ouyang, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, Q., de la Torre, J., & Min, S. (2024). Subtypes of mathematics disability: A new classification method based on cognitive diagnostic models and their cognitive–linguistic correlates. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(3), 396–410. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000829 

Ouyang, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, Q., Gong, X., Zhang, R (2023). Preschool Children's Screen Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations with Family Characteristics and Children's Anxiety/Withdrawal and Approaches to Learning. Current Psychology https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04783-y 

Ouyang, X., Zhang, X., Räsänen, P., Koponen, T., & Lerkkanen, M.-K. (2022). Subtypes of mathematical learning disability and their antecedents: A cognitive diagnostic approach. Child Development, 94(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13884 

Ouyang, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, Q. (2022). Spatial skills and number skills in preschool children: The moderating role of spatial anxiety. Cognition, 225, 105165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105165 

Zou, X., Zhang, X., Ouyang, X. (2022) The Interplay between Father–Child and Mother–Child Numeracy Activities and Preschool Children’s Mathematical Skills. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 71, 102123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102123 

Ouyang, X., Yang, Y., Zhang, X., & Zhang, Q. (2021). Longitudinal Relations between the Approximate Number System and Symbolic Number Skills in Preschool Children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 212, 105254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105254 

Ouyang, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, Q., & Zou, X. (2021). Antecedents and consequences of young children's interest in mathematics. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 57, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.05.005 

Ouyang X, Zhang Q, Xin T and Liu F (2018). Establishing a Longitudinal Comparable Scale of Chinese Children's Cognitive Development through Calibrated Projection Linking. Frontiers in Psychology. 9:97. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00097 

Ouyang, X., Xin, T., Chen, F (2016). Construct Validity of Children’s Coping Strategies Scale (CCSS): A Bifactor Model Approach. Psychological Reports, 18(1), 199-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294116628362 

For a full publication list see also google scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=SDSHSRcAAAAJ&hl=zh-CN

On-going Projects

• 2025-2028  Principle investigator. Early Career Scheme: Young Children’s Development of Spatial Skills: Familial Correlates and Relation to Numerical Skills.  HK$931,067
• 2023.10    Principle investigator. Faculty Research Grant from Lingnan University: General Cognitive and Numerical Precursors of Mathematical Difficulty in Kindergarten Children at High Risk for Dyscalculia.  HK$100,000
• 2023.09    Principle investigator. Research Seed Fund from Lingnan University. HK$40,000
   

Teaching Subjects

Academic Year: 2026 - 2027: