تعطیلات نوروزی مجله- ضمن تبریک فرارسیدن بهار و شروع سال جدید به اطلاع میرساند این نشریه از تاریخ ۲۵ اسفندماه ۱۴۰۲ لغایت ۱۳ فروردین ۱۴۰۳ تعطیل می باشد.

Volume 7 -                   MEJDS (2017) 7: 82 | Back to browse issues page

XML Persian Abstract Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Ahmadi A, Behpajooh A, Shokoohi-Yekta M, Arjmandnia A A, Azizi M P. The Effectiveness of Cognitive Plays on Executive Function and Math Achievement of Preschool Children at Risk for Mathematic Difficulties. MEJDS 2017; 7 :82-82
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-767-en.html
1- University of Tehran
2- Islamic Azad University
Abstract:   (6653 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objective: The good executive function skills during early childhood found to be a strong predictor of academic achievement. In recent years, some studies have indicated that children who have problem in executive function skills are at an increased risk for learning difficulties particularly in math. Executive function skills composed of working memory, response control and cognitive flexibility. These skills have a critical impact on everyday performance and children's school readiness. As growing number of research support the relation between mathematics and executive function skills, researchers and educators began to focus on the question of transfer effect of executive function training on academic performance or daily activities, which there is a dearth of empirical research on this issue. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive games on working memory, cognitive flexibility, response control, attention, planning and basic math skills of preschool children at risk for mathematical difficulties.
Methods: in a Quasi experimental study, the pre-test post-test design with the control group was used. Forty preschool children at risk for mathematical difficulties were selected based on a multi-level screening of low performance in mathematics from six kindergartens and preschool centers in district two of Tehran. The participants were chosen in two stages. First, potential participants were nominated by the teacher as low performance children then if they scored one or more standard deviation below the mean in basic mathematical skills were considered at risk for mathematic difficulties. Participants randomly were assigned to either the experimental or the control group. Participants of the experimental group received 24 sessions of executive function training while the control group followed their routine educational plans. The intervention combined both computerized and non- computerized games. Activities were accommodated based on the children’s performance and structured from easy to difficult level. The Kohansedgh Basic Mathematical Skills for Children (KBMSC), Tehran- Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (TSB-5), Stroop and Tower of London were used to assess participant’s performance in terms of cognitive and academic skills at the beginning and the after intervention.
Results: Participants average age was 73.5 months (SD=5.21). There were no significant differences between the experimental and the control group in terms IQ, basic math skills or age. Findings of covariance analysis controlling for pretest scores, indicated significant differences among the experimental and the control group in terms of working memory (F=20.24, p=0.001, η2 =0.42) and cognitive flexibility (F=7.54, p=0.010, η2 =0.22). Although, after the intervention, the children in the intervention group scored higher in the areas of math ability, response control, attention and planning skills than the comparison group, but the differences were not significant (p>0.05).
Conclusion: : Implications of research findings suggest including executive function training to the preschool curriculum especially for at risk children, which might improve their school readiness and prevent or reduced the chance of learning disabilities. To the best of our knowledge, this research is one of the first study evaluating the effect of executive function training with the Maghzineh software in at risk preschool children.
 

Full-Text [PDF 690 kb]   (1643 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Review Article | Subject: Psychology

References
1. Diamond A, Lee K. Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science. 2011;333(6045):959-64. [DOI:10.1126/science.1204529]
2. Blair C, Razza RP. Relating effortful control, executive function, and false belief understanding to emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Child Dev. 2007;78(2):647-63. [DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01019.x]
3. Bull R, Scerif G. Executive functioning as a predictor of children's mathematics ability: Inhibition, switching, and working memory. Dev Neuropsychol. 2001;19 (3):273-293. [DOI:10.1207/S15326942DN1903_3]
4. Dumontheil I, Klingberg T. Brain activity during a visuospatial working memory task predicts arithmetical performance 2 years later. Cereb Cortex. 2012;22(5):1078-85. [DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhr175]
5. Blakey E, Carroll DJ. A short executive function training program improves preschoolers' working memory. Front Psychol. 2015;6:1827. [DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01827]
6. Egeland J, Aarlien AK, Saunes B-K. Few effects of far transfer of working memory training in ADHD: a randomized controlled trial. PloS one. 2013;8(10):e75660. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0075660]
7. Liu Q, Zhu X, Ziegler A, Shi J. Corrigendum: The effects of inhibitory control training for preschoolers on reasoning ability and neural activity. Sci Rep. 2016;6. [DOI:10.1038/srep20296]
8. Thorell LB, Lindqvist S, Bergman Nutley S, Bohlin G, Klingberg T. Training and transfer effects of executive functions in preschool children. Dev Sci. 2009;12(1):106-13. [DOI:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00745.x]
9. Röthlisberger M, Neuenschwander R, Cimeli P, Michel E, Roebers CM. Improving executive functions in 5‐and 6‐year‐olds: Evaluation of a small group intervention in prekindergarten and kindergarten children. Infant Child Dev. 2012;21(4):411-29. [DOI:10.1002/icd.752]
10. Hahn-Markowitz J, Berger I, Manor I, Maeir A. Efficacy of Cognitive-Functional (Cog-Fun) Occupational Therapy Intervention Among Children With ADHD An RCT. J Atten Disord. 2016:1087054716666955. [DOI:10.1177/1087054716666955]
11. Witt M. School based working memory training: Preliminary finding of improvement in children's mathematical performance. Adv. Cogn. Psychol. 2011;7 :7-15 [DOI:10.2478/v10053-008-0083-3]
12. St Clair‐Thompson H, Stevens R, Hunt A, Bolder E. Improving children's working memory and classroom performance. Educ. Psychol. 2010;30(2):203-19. [DOI:10.1080/01443410903509259]
13. Simons DJ, Boot WR, Charness N, Gathercole SE, Chabris CF, Hambrick DZ, et al. Do "brain-training" programs work? Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2016;17(3):103-86. [DOI:10.1177/1529100616661983]
14. Melby-Lervåg M, Hulme C. Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review. Dev Psychol. 2013;49(2):270. [DOI:10.1037/a0028228]
15. Kohansedg S. Assessing basic math skills in preschool. [Thesis for Master of Art]. [Tehran, Iran]: Faculty of Psychology, Allameh Tabataba'i University. 1998:80-5. [Persian]
16. Afrooz G, Farid F, Mousavi M, Soveyzi R. Construct Validity Assessment: Convergent Type for Stanford Binet and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children in Tehran. ARRB. 2014;4(24):4400. [DOI:10.9734/ARRB/2014/11448]
17. Roid GH, Barram RA. Essentials of Stanford-Binet intelligence scales (SB5) assessment. John Wiley & Sons; 2004.
18. Shiri Aminloo M, Kamkary K, Shokrzadeh S. The Concurrent validity of the new version of the Tehran-Stanford-Binet ‎Intelligence Scale with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. J Spec Educ. 2013;7(120):50-61. [Persian]
19. Morris R, Rushe T, Woodruffe P, Murray R. Problem solving in schizophrenia: a specific deficit in planning ability. J Schizophr Res. 1995;14(3):235-46. [DOI:10.1016/0920-9964(94)00044-9]
20. Mashhadi A, Rasoulzadehe TK, Azadfallah P, Soltanifar A. Planning and Organizing Abilities in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). J Clin Psychol. 2010;1(2):37-50. [Persian]
21. Connor A, Franzen MD, Sharp B. Effects of practice and differential instructions on Stroop performance. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1988; 10(1):1-4.
22. Rezapour T EH, Pouretemad H, Nili M, Moradi H.. Maghzineh Attention Computerized Trainings to Increase Brain Activation. 2nd ed. [Tehran]: Mehrsa Publishers; 2016,pp: 8-13. [Persian]
23. Clements DH, Sarama J, Germeroth C. Learning executive function and early mathematics: Directions of causal relations. Early Child Res Q. 2016;36:79-90. [DOI:10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.12.009]
24. Dovis S, Van der Oord S, Wiers RW, Prins PJ. Improving executive functioning in children with ADHD: training multiple executive functions within the context of a computer game. A randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial. PloS one. 2015;10(4):e01216 [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0121651]
25. Fisher AV. Automatic shifts of attention in the Dimensional Change Card Sort task: Subtle changes in task materials lead to flexible switching. J Exp Child Psychol. 2011;108(1):211-9. [DOI:10.1016/j.jecp.2010.07.001]
26. Westerberg H, Klingberg T. Changes in cortical activity after training of working memory-a single-subject analysis. Physiol Behav. 2007;92(1):186-92. [DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.05.041]

Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA

Send email to the article author


Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© 2024 CC BY-NC 4.0 | Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

Designed & Developed by : Yektaweb