Gölitz D (2009)
Publication Type: Authored book, Monography
Publication year: 2009
Publisher: Elektronische Publikation der Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek
City/Town: Göttingen
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-0006-AD5E-9
Open Access Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-0006-AD5E-9
The study examined in how far children with deficits in basic cognitive functions profit during elementary education when taught in mixed age schools in grade 1 and 2. The data were collected from 1999 to 2003 in southern Germany in a longitudinal design with N = 1040 pupils in 70 classes in 41 experimental and control schools participating in the first measurement. Children with deficits in basic cognitive functions were defined as having a percentile below 15 at the beginning of the first grade in one of four areas (phonological working memory, phonological aware¬ness, visual working memory or counting knowledge). For the first two years mixed age classes with rather individualizing instruction (N = 564) prevailed. The classes were age homogenized in the 3rd and 4th year. Reading and spelling were tested at the end of grade 2 and 3. Mathematics was tested from the end of grade 1 through the end of grade 4. The results in reading, spelling and mathematics over the four years of primary school demonstrate that all four areas of cognitive functioning determine school achievement. The phonological awareness (mean Cohen s d = .44) and the phonological working memory (mean Cohen s d = .40) were the most important predictors. The phonological awareness determined reading (mean Cohen s d = .39) and spelling (mean Cohen s d = .51) as well as mathematics (mean Cohen s d = .43). The visual working memory was an important predictor especially for later achievement in mathematics (mean Cohen s d = .57). As expected both forms of grouping did not differ in general: children being taught in mixed age classes did not suffer in their scholastic achievement. Mixed age classes with individualizing instruction in the first two school years had positive consequences for children with deficits in counting knowledge (mean Cohen s d = .24) and in tendency for children with deficits in visual-spatial working memory (mean Cohen s d = .05). Suprisingly, children with deficits in phonological working memory did profit (mean Cohen s d = .20) significantly, too. Mixed age schooling with individualizing instruction and age homogenization after two years cannot be recommended for children with deficits in phonological awareness (mean Cohen s d = -.13). This result is noteworthy since in contrast to the area of phonological awareness effective training programs are up to now not known in the area of working memory here a unique compensating function of mixed age schooling was found.
APA:
Gölitz, D. (2009). Profitieren Kinder mit kognitiven Entwicklungsrisiken von jahrgangsgemischtem Schulanfangsunterricht? Göttingen: Elektronische Publikation der Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek.
MLA:
Gölitz, Dietmar. Profitieren Kinder mit kognitiven Entwicklungsrisiken von jahrgangsgemischtem Schulanfangsunterricht? Göttingen: Elektronische Publikation der Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, 2009.
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