Meta-analysis of cognitive preferences and learning

Most of the articles and dissertations dealing with cognitive preferences which were written since the invention of the construct in the early 1960s have been reviewed. Fifty-four of them were found suitable for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis presents means and standard deviations of reliabilities, correlations, standard scores, and effect sizes. The effects and relationships of cognitive preferences and important school and learning related variables were studied. The results provide base line data for comparative purposes and offer empirical evidence which support the construct validity of cognitive preferences.     

The borrowers: library records as unobtrusive measures of children's reading preferences

This paper explores whether analysis of school library borrowing records can reveal any insights into the reading habits of junior age children. Data in the form of computerised library‐borrowing records were collected from a cohort of 90 Year 6 (age 10–11 years) children over the full course of the academic year. Two‐thirds of the cohort were boys. The paper will consider what light these data can throw on children's reading preferences as they evolve over time in specific social settings. The data stem from a project that combined both qualitative and quantitative research methods in innovative ways.     

Cautions in interpreting WRAT standard scores as criterion measures of achievement in young children

The present article calls into question the use of the WRAT as a criterion measure for determining ability/achievement discrepancies in young school-aged children. It is demonstrated that the use of regression equations to predict the expected achievement levels of five- and six-year-old children on the WRAT still does not rectify the difficulties in identifying underachievement for children in the lower primary grades. Implications for the early identification of specific learning disabilities are discussed.     

Relationship between cognitive preferences and achievement in chemistry

In this report the relationships between cognitive preferences and patterns of achievement in chemistry for grade 12 students in Australia are investigated. The results of the study are consistent with the following two general propostions:

• 1 Students who develop the cognitive preferences consistent with those implied or stressed by the Higher School Certificate chemistry course tend to perform better on an end-of-course achievement examination than do students whose cognitive preferences are not consis tent with these implied preferences.
• 2 Higher cognitive preference for a particular preference is positively correlated with performance on the sorts of cognitive tasks implied in that preference.

     

The relationship between cognitive preferences,student background and achievement in science

Cognitive preferences of Israeli 12th grade students were studied as part of the Second IEA Science Study. It was found that during the last ten years Israeli students have become more oriented toward application. Higher sociocultural status, higher achievement in science, liking of science studies, more time devoted to science homework, and intentions to study science in college were all associated with a higher preference for principles and critical questioning as well as with a lower preference for recall. Science majors compared with non-science majors exhibited a higher level of intellectual curiosity. There were no differences between cognitive preferences of boys and girls.     

Validity of GRE General Test scores and TOEFL scores for graduate admission to a technical university in Western Europe*

Graduate admission has become a critical process in tertiary education, whereby selecting valid admissions instruments is key. This study assessed the validity of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores for admission to Master’s programmes at a technical university in Europe. We investigated the indicative value of GRE scores for the Master’s programme grade point average (GGPA) with and without the addition of the undergraduate GPA (UGPA) and the TOEFL score, and of GRE scores for study completion and Master’s thesis performance. GRE scores explained 20% of the variation in the GGPA, while additional 7% were explained by the TOEFL score and 3% by the UGPA. Contrary to common belief, the GRE quantitative reasoning score showed only little explanatory power. GRE scores were also weakly related to study progress but not to thesis performance. Nevertheless, GRE and TOEFL scores were found to be sensible admissions instruments. Rigorous methodology was used to obtain highly reliable results.     

Dimensions of physical punishment and their associations with children's cognitive performance and school adjustment

This study examined how a range of physical punishment measures, ranging from mild corporal punishment to physical abuse, are associated with cognitive performance, school engagement, and peer isolation over a 3- year span among 658 children initially observed between the ages of 8 and 14. Physical punishment was captured in three groups: mild corporal punishment, harsh corporal punishment, and physical abuse, and both caregiver- and child-reported punishment measures were considered. After accounting for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, only Ninitial exposure to physical abuse was significantly associated with declines in cognitive performance. However, all forms of physical punishment were associated with declines in school engagement, and harsh corporal punishment was associated with increased peer isolation. Our findings were relatively consistent regardless of whether physical punishment was reported by the child or caregiver. Overall, our findings suggest that the prevention of physical abuse may enhance children's cognitive performance, but that alone may not be sufficient to ensure children are engaged and well-adjusted in school.     

Relation between Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test and WISC-III scores of children with RD

Concurrent validity of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) was evaluated, as well as the K-BIT's accuracy as a predictor of WISC-III scores, in a sample of young children with reading disabilities. The two measures were administered to 65 children from Atlanta, Boston, and Toronto who ranged from 6-5 to 7-11 years of age at testing. Correlations between the verbal, nonverbal, and composite scales of the K-BIT and WISC-III were .60, .48, and .63, respectively. Mean K-BIT scores ranged from 1.2 to 5.0 points higher than the corresponding WISC-III scores. Standard errors of estimation ranged from 10.0 to 12.3 points. In individual cases, K-BIT scores can underestimate or overestimate WISC-III scores by as much as 25 points. Results suggest caution against using the K-BIT exclusively for placement and diagnostic purposes with young children with reading disabilities if IQ scores are required.     

Perceptions of the learning environment and associations with cognitive achievement among gifted biology students

This study assessed the perceptions of 146 gifted and 115 non-gifted high school biology students and investigated associations between student perceptions and cognitive achievement. The What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) was used to assess perceptions of actual and preferred learning environments. Data indicated that all students preferred a more favourable environment than the one that they were currently experiencing, but gifted students perceived their actual environment more positively than non-gifted students. Statistically significant associations between the actual learning environment and achievement on a standardised biology test were found for the majority of scales. Teacher Support, Investigation and Equity were all statistically significant independent predictors of student achievement, while Student Cohesiveness had a negative association with achievement. Interviews revealed that students interpreted some WIHIC items differently from how the developers had intended.     

The effects of junior inquiry science programs on student cognitive and activity preferences in science

Research in Science Education -     

Student performance prediction,risk analysis,and feedback based on context-bound cognitive skill scores

Education and Information Technologies - In recent times, Educational Data Mining and Learning Analytics have been abundantly used to model decision-making to improve teaching/learning ecosystems....     

Comparison of reading disabled children's scores on the WISC-R,Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test,and Slosson Intelligence Test

Scores on the Slosson Intelligence Test and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, two frequently used screening devices, are examined to determine how well they predict scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised. Two hundred seven children representing reading disabled children in the average classroom were administered each of the three measures of this study. The degree of relationship between the PPVT and the WISC-R was found to be.57, and the degree of relationship between the SIT and the WISC-R was found to be.73. The results of this study suggest that the PPVT and SIT measure different and/or limited aspects of a child's ability as measured by the WISC-R and are therefore only rough estimates of capacity to function in situations requiring what is generally termed intelligence.     

Child bodyweight and human capital: Test scores,teacher assessments and noncognitive skills

This papers adds to the literature on child bodyweight and human capital using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011. We examine how bodyweight is related to both children's test scores and teacher assessment of ability. We find bodyweight has little effect on math or reading for girls, but is negatively related to test scores and teacher assessments in science. Obese boys are found to have lower test scores in math and are assessed more negatively by teachers in all three academic areas. We also examine bodyweight and noncognitive skills, finding negative relationships for both girls and boys. Obesity-related differences in these skills mitigate observed disparities for boys between teacher assessment and test scores in the areas of reading and math but not science. Finally, we explore whether bodyweight differentially affects teacher and parent-assessment of children's noncognitive traits, finding a more negative effect on teacher-assessed skills.     

On the meaning of cross-cultural differences in simple cognitive measures

A set of 5 reaction time tests of increasing cognitive complexity were administered to 35 secondary school pupils in Zimbabwe and The Netherlands at 4 consecutive school days in order to explore the existence and nature of cross-cultural differences on reaction time tests measuring basic cognitive operations. No cross-cultural differences were observed on the simple tests, while the Dutch pupils were faster than Zimbabwean pupils on the more complex tests. Zimbabwean pupils showed larger performance increments at retesting. Two Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) subtests (Vocabulary and Digit Span Forward and Backward), a tapping test, and parental socioeconomic status were used to predict the cross-cultural performance differences. Socioeconomic status and digit span could explain all these differences. It is argued that the cross-cultural performance differences on elementary cognitive tests cannot be interpreted at face value because of their susceptibility to non-target factors, such as test understanding and previous test exposure.