Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in Adolescents
Improving the reasoning skills of adolescents across the United States has become a major concern for educators and scientists who are dedicated to identifying evidence-based protocols to improve student outcome. This small sample randomized, control pilot study sought to determine the efficacy of h...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2010-12-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00188/full |
| _version_ | 1818272015087304704 |
|---|---|
| author | Jacquelyn F Gamino Sandra B Chapman Elizabeth L Hull Reid Lyon |
| author_facet | Jacquelyn F Gamino Sandra B Chapman Elizabeth L Hull Reid Lyon |
| author_sort | Jacquelyn F Gamino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Improving the reasoning skills of adolescents across the United States has become a major concern for educators and scientists who are dedicated to identifying evidence-based protocols to improve student outcome. This small sample randomized, control pilot study sought to determine the efficacy of higher-order cognitive training on gist-reasoning and fact-learning in an inner-city public middle school. The study compared gist-reasoning and fact-learning performances after training in a smaller sample when tested in Spanish, many of the students’ native language, versus English. The 54 eighth grade students who participated in this pilot study were enrolled in an urban middle school, predominantly from lower socio-economic status families, and were primarily of minority descent. The students were randomized into one of three groups, one that learned cognitive strategies promoting abstraction of meaning, a group that learned rote memory strategies, or a control group to ascertain the impact of each program on gist-reasoning and fact-learning from text-based information. We found that the students who had cognitive strategy instruction that entailed abstraction of meaning significantly improved their gist-reasoning and fact-learning ability. The students who learned rote memory strategies significantly improved their fact-learning scores from a text but not gist-reasoning ability. The control group showed no significant change in either gist-reasoning or fact-learning ability. A trend toward significant improvement in overall reading scores for the group that learned to abstract meaning as well as a significant correlation between gist-reasoning ability and the critical thinking on a state-mandated standardized reading test was also found. There were no significant differences between English and Spanish performance of gist reasoning and fact learning. Our findings suggest that teaching higher-order cognitive strategies facilitates gist-reasoning ability and learning. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:35:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-135561a611ec4c30b64490accbdd1264 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:35:21Z |
| publishDate | 2010-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-135561a611ec4c30b64490accbdd12642022-12-22T00:11:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782010-12-01110.3389/fpsyg.2010.001882212Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in AdolescentsJacquelyn F Gamino0Sandra B Chapman1Elizabeth L Hull2Reid Lyon3The University of Texas at DallasThe University of Texas at DallasThe University of Texas at DallasThe University of Texas at DallasImproving the reasoning skills of adolescents across the United States has become a major concern for educators and scientists who are dedicated to identifying evidence-based protocols to improve student outcome. This small sample randomized, control pilot study sought to determine the efficacy of higher-order cognitive training on gist-reasoning and fact-learning in an inner-city public middle school. The study compared gist-reasoning and fact-learning performances after training in a smaller sample when tested in Spanish, many of the students’ native language, versus English. The 54 eighth grade students who participated in this pilot study were enrolled in an urban middle school, predominantly from lower socio-economic status families, and were primarily of minority descent. The students were randomized into one of three groups, one that learned cognitive strategies promoting abstraction of meaning, a group that learned rote memory strategies, or a control group to ascertain the impact of each program on gist-reasoning and fact-learning from text-based information. We found that the students who had cognitive strategy instruction that entailed abstraction of meaning significantly improved their gist-reasoning and fact-learning ability. The students who learned rote memory strategies significantly improved their fact-learning scores from a text but not gist-reasoning ability. The control group showed no significant change in either gist-reasoning or fact-learning ability. A trend toward significant improvement in overall reading scores for the group that learned to abstract meaning as well as a significant correlation between gist-reasoning ability and the critical thinking on a state-mandated standardized reading test was also found. There were no significant differences between English and Spanish performance of gist reasoning and fact learning. Our findings suggest that teaching higher-order cognitive strategies facilitates gist-reasoning ability and learning.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00188/fullEducationMemorycognitive trainingGISTreasoningadolesence |
| spellingShingle | Jacquelyn F Gamino Sandra B Chapman Elizabeth L Hull Reid Lyon Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in Adolescents Frontiers in Psychology Education Memory cognitive training GIST reasoning adolesence |
| title | Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in Adolescents |
| title_full | Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in Adolescents |
| title_short | Effects of Higher-order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist Reasoning and Fact Learning in Adolescents |
| title_sort | effects of higher order cognitive strategy training on gist reasoning and fact learning in adolescents |
| topic | Education Memory cognitive training GIST reasoning adolesence |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00188/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jacquelynfgamino effectsofhigherordercognitivestrategytrainingongistreasoningandfactlearninginadolescents AT sandrabchapman effectsofhigherordercognitivestrategytrainingongistreasoningandfactlearninginadolescents AT elizabethlhull effectsofhigherordercognitivestrategytrainingongistreasoningandfactlearninginadolescents AT reidlyon effectsofhigherordercognitivestrategytrainingongistreasoningandfactlearninginadolescents |