The aim of the current study was to investigate to what extent children’s potential for learning is related to their level of cognitive flexibility. Potential for learning was measured through a... Show moreThe aim of the current study was to investigate to what extent children’s potential for learning is related to their level of cognitive flexibility. Potential for learning was measured through a dynamic testing procedure that aimed to measure how much a child can profit from a training procedure integrated into the testing process, including the amount and type of feedback the children required during this training procedure. The study followed a pre-test–training–post-test control group design. Participants were 153 6–7-year-old children. Half of this group of children were provided with a standardised graduated prompts procedure. The other half of the participants performed a non-inductive cognitive task. Children’s cognitive flexibility was measured through a card sorting test and a test of verbal fluency. Results show that cognitive flexibility was positively related to children’s performance, but only for children in the practice-only condition who received no training. These outcomes suggest that dynamic testing, and more in particular, the graduated prompting procedure, supports children’s cognitive flexibility, thereby giving children with weaker flexibility the opportunity to show more of their cognitive potential as measured through inductive reasoning. Show less
In this thesis, we aimed to investigate the role of cognitive flexibility in children’s potential for learning, assessed under dynamic testing conditions. In early dynamic testing literature,... Show moreIn this thesis, we aimed to investigate the role of cognitive flexibility in children’s potential for learning, assessed under dynamic testing conditions. In early dynamic testing literature, a flexibile use of information is essential in children’s ability to learn from instruction, and in bridging the gap between taught skills and new, but related task demands. We hoped to increase our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in children’s potential for learning and in the ability to transfer that which has been learned to new tasks and situations in a flexible way. In doing so, we aimed to provide suggestions for creating a better match between children’s individual pattern of abilities and the way they are taught. Show less
The main focus of the current dissertation is on the associations between self-regulation and academic outcomes, with special attention to these issues in ethnic minority children. Following a... Show moreThe main focus of the current dissertation is on the associations between self-regulation and academic outcomes, with special attention to these issues in ethnic minority children. Following a systematic meta-analysis on the association between cognitive self-regulation and academic achievement regardless of ethnic group, two empirical studies focus on self-regulation and aspects of education in ethnic minority children specifically, examining self-regulatory capacities in relation to educational attainment, and the relation between the transition to primary school and the development of self-regulation. In Chapter 2, flexible thinking that is an important contributor to cognitive self-regulation (i.e., executive function), was found to be positively and substantially related to math and reading performance. The findings of Chapter 3 showed that behavioral self-regulation (i.e., effortful control) is related to educational attainment with respect to secondary school tracks via self-efficacy in Turkish minority preadolescents. Chapter 4 provided evidence that children showed differential gains in flexible thinking from kindergarten to formal schooling, as less able children made more progress following the transition. The findings provided evidence for the important role of self-regulation in school performance and for the role of the transition to formal schooling in shaping the development of higher-order cognitive processes that contribute to self-regulation. Show less
