Study finds pre-school program co-developed by McREL and Metropolitan State College of Denver improves children's cognitive control
December 6, 2007
Denver
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An innovative curriculum for preschoolers developed by two Denver-based organizations, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) and Metropolitan State College of Denver, improves key cognitive functions and self-control among at-risk students, according to a new study released by a group of American and Canadian researchers.
The study of the Tools of the Mind (Tools) curriculum, which was developed by McREL Principal Researcher Elena Bodrova and Metro State educational psychology professor Deborah J. Leong, focused on children's "executive functions" such as resisting distraction, thinking before speaking, and mentally holding and using information.
The researchers noted that these abilities are more strongly correlated with young children's school readiness than intelligence quotient (IQ) or reading and math skills. However, many children enter school lacking these skills, and teachers, who typically receive little instruction in how to develop these skills, remove children from classrooms at "alarming rates" because of their lack of self-control.
The Tools of the Mind curriculum includes 40 activities that help young children develop cognitive control skills by, for example, encouraging children to tell themselves out loud what they should do, engaging them in dramatic play, and developing their memory and attention skills.
For the scientifically based study, researchers randomly assigned 147 five-year-olds in a low-income, urban school district in New Jersey to be taught with two different curricula over a two-year period. Half of the children received the Tools curriculum and half received the district's Balanced Literacy (dBL) curriculum. Researchers found that even though the two curricula covered the same content, the children in the Tools group scored significantly better on two computerized tests of cognitive skills than the children in the dBL group (84 and 65 percent, respectively).
In addition, researchers were surprised at the level of persistence the children in the Tools group showed on the tests. When they made mistakes, they kept trying, while children in the dBL group often quit quickly. Also surprising was how Tools students were able to transfer the skills they had learned to a new context; many of the children were not computer literate, but they were able to perform well on computerized tests.
According to Bodrova, this study shows for a minimal cost, executive functions can be taught to preschoolers and that doing so can increase their chances for academic success. Previous interventions designed to develop executive functions, she explained, have been cost-prohibitive because they require computers and highly trained professionals.
"Early childhood is a very unique time in life for learning, and early childhood education is not just about teaching skills and preparing children for kindergarten," said Bodrova. "In many preschools, play is non-existent and many teachers don't see its value. However, this study validates play as being not only fun, but also critical for development."
The study, conducted by researchers Adele Diamond and Sarah Munro from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., and Steven Barnett and Jessica Thomas from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., appeared in the November 30 issue of Science magazine. The article is available online at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/318/5855/1387.
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McREL is a nationally recognized, private, nonprofit organization located in Denver, Colo., dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development and service. In 2006, McREL provided research-based guidance to educators and policymakers in 42 states across the U.S.
