The Effectiveness of a Dynamic Test for Working Memory and Its Implications for Academic Performance

Existing studies have demonstrated the usefulness of dynamic training in developing children’s various cognitive abilities, such as cognitive flexibility and reasoning. Additionally, research has also shown dynamic measures, such as posttest performance and the amount of training prompts to be significant predictors for children’s academic performance in reading and mathematics. However, there is little information about the effectiveness of dynamic training on the working memory performance of typically developing and younger primary school children. The current study was performed using a dynamic task of working memory with a pretest-training-posttest design. The participants of this study were 103 typically developing Dutch children between the ages of 8 and 9 years old (mean age = 8.55 years, 50.50% girls). Children were allocated into a control and experimental group, where the experimental group received dynamic training following the pretest using a graduated prompts approach...Show moreExisting studies have demonstrated the usefulness of dynamic training in developing children’s various cognitive abilities, such as cognitive flexibility and reasoning. Additionally, research has also shown dynamic measures, such as posttest performance and the amount of training prompts to be significant predictors for children’s academic performance in reading and mathematics. However, there is little information about the effectiveness of dynamic training on the working memory performance of typically developing and younger primary school children. The current study was performed using a dynamic task of working memory with a pretest-training-posttest design. The participants of this study were 103 typically developing Dutch children between the ages of 8 and 9 years old (mean age = 8.55 years, 50.50% girls). Children were allocated into a control and experimental group, where the experimental group received dynamic training following the pretest using a graduated prompts approach, while the control group did not receive training. Our study found a statistically significant difference between the children’s performance at the pretest and posttest measures of the dynamic working memory task in both experimental groups. Inconsistent with previous research, children’s working memory performance regressed from pretest to posttest in both groups. Furthermore, in-line with previous research, we found that higher performance at posttest predicted higher academic performance in reading and mathematics for the experimental group. However, the number of prompts children received during dynamic training was not a significant predictor for their academic performance. Our findings indicated that the dynamic task for working memory profited children in both experimental groups to a limited extent. Additionally, dynamic measures of working memory, such as posttest score, had a predictive effect on children’s reading and mathematical performance in school. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of a shorter dynamic training procedure and the specific type of prompts that are most useful for children’s performance progression. Another implication for future research is to examine children’s concentration during dynamic testing. Practical implications include the application of dynamic testing along with static testing for a more comprehensive understanding about children’s learning needs and cognitive abilities.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The Effectiveness of a Dynamic Test for Working Memory and Its Implications for Academic Performance