RESEARCH into Instrumental Enrichment in SA and Abroad

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RESEARCH into Instrumental
Enrichment in SA and
Abroad
Presented by Mervyn Skuy 8 June 2009
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Basis for the IE Programme

• Research SA Abroad
• Outcomes
• Process
• Models

• Belief System
• Advances in Psychological Theory

• Countries
• Target Groups
• Settings

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Theoretical Basis

• Belief System/Philosophy Enhancing societal
  harmony/succces by bridging cognitive gaps
• Own culture as valuable springboard for
  change
• Humans modifiable at all ages and stages
• Structural Cognitive Modifiability Developing
  the individuals cognitive structures and
  processes to facilitate optimal autonomous
  functioning, through
• Mediated Learning Experience explains the
  conditions under which optimal learning occurs,
  and specifies the dimensions and tools of
  student-interaction required for optimal
  cognitive and socio-emotional learning 

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Empirical Evidence Evaluation

• IE is a systematic and comprehensive application
  of the theory.
• Different models of implementation have been
  tested in many countries and languages of the
  world, yielding largely positive and significant
  results in various dimensions of functioning, and
  numerous different target groups and settings
• Over 1000 known and documented publications and
  theses have been produced on IE and related
  topics over 30 years, and are currently
  continuing to be written

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Empirical Evidence Evaluation

• Cognitive theorists (e.g., Sternberg) have
  assessed IE as one of the most effective and
  promising thinking skills programmes available
  especially for
• Disadvantaged students, IE was described as
• uniquely appropriate and effective (Adams,89)
• In South Africa, a substantial body of research
  and development of models of IE- largely through
  the Cognitive Research Programme at the Wits
  University1989-2003)

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IE is currently being implemented in many
countries

• Africa - South Africa, Rwanda
• Asia - China, India, Japan, Malaysia,
  Singapore, S
• Korea, Thailand
• Australia/Oceania - Australia, NZ
• Central America - Mexico
• Europe - all countries (except Baltic States)
• North America - Canada and USA
• South America - Almost all countries

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Current IE (ICELP) Projects Examples

• IE with disadvantaged primary school students in
  Bridgeport, CT and Albany, N.Y. National Urban
  Alliance, USA. 
• College teachers IE training project.
  Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican
  Republic.
• Graduate program in mediated learning, dynamic
  assessment and cognitive enrichment. University
  Diego Portales, Chile.
• Graduate programs in mediated learning, dyn
  assessment and cognitive enrichment. Touro
  College, NY, USA
• University
  Ca Foscari, Venice, Italy.

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Current IE (ICELP) Projects Examples

• International research project on IE-Basic
  (Israel, Chile, Canada, Belgium, Italy).
  Sponsored by Mariani Foundation for Child
  Neurology (Italy)
• IE/Modifying Environments project in Rwanda
  Government of Rwanda Jewish Joint
  DistribCommittee
• Annual International Workshops . In
  cooperation with Comenius/ Grundtvig Program of
  European Comission. 
• Project on implementation of IE-Basic in the
  Alaska Community Pre School Project Alaska
  government (currently allocating funding for its
  expansion)
• Various projects in South Africa.

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IE has been used and tested with a wide range of
target groups

• Gifted Disadvantaged Adolescents
• Different Language/Cultural Groups
• Learning Disabled children
• Behaviourally Maladjusted students
• Teachers from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Minority Group/Disadvantaged children/
  adolescents/adults
• Schizophrenic adolescents
• Blind adults and children
• Deaf adults children
• Downs Syndrome individuals
• Immigrants (Adults Children)
• Pre Schoolers (IE Basic)

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ISRAEL IE with Down Syndrome Young Adults
(Feuerstein et al., 2006) 

• Program Instrumental Enrichment, socialization,
  training and the creation of modifying
  environments
• Outcome reading and writing, serving as
  volunteers in the army, learning vocational
  skills be gainfully employed as caretakers for
  the elderly.
• Follow Up four to six years later, 39 of the 40
  participants were still gainfully employed, and
  implementing their training.
• This constitutes a higher incidence than would be
  predicted in normal individuals in similar
  occupational tracks.

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ISRAEL

• IE Studies with the Blind (Gouzman,1997)
• Method The IE materials were adapted for use by
  blind and partially-sighted students. Various
  techniques were used to translate the materials
  into Braille.  
• Subjects Primary and secondary school students,
  integrated into regular schools, a special school
  for the blind, young adults in a preparatory
  university course, and elderly new immigrants in
  an intensive Hebrew program.
• Outcomes Changes in the behaviors, cognition
  and self-image of blind learners. Students
  demonstrated greater alertness and involvement in
  the lessons.

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ISRAEL

• Cognitive Modifiability of Severely Disturbed
  Individuals Hadas-Lidor (2001)
• Subjects 58 schizophrenic clients matched
  equally into an experimental (IE) and a control
  group (treated with traditional occupational
  therapy methods).
• Results
• Significant improvement for IE , relative to
  C , in memory and thought processes, as well as
  in work and residence status.
• The authors concluded that the successful outcome
  of their study points to the importance of
  including long-term cognitive intervention in
  rehabilitation of schizophrenic clients.  

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CANADAIE in Elementary Junior High Schools
(Mulcahy 1994) 

• Method The 2-year IE project involved a
  population of 900 students that started IE in
  the 4th 7th grades in a school district of
  Alberta, Canada.
• Sample (1) FIE (2) Mulcahys Strategies
  Program for Effective Learning/Thinking and (3)
  the traditional curriculum and instruction
  (control) group.
• Findings (1) IE students achievement on maths
  tests was significantly better than that of the
  control group.
• (2) Comprehension skills of students in both
  cognitive education programs were observed to be
  generally better than the control groups.

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USA

• Systemic Implementation of IE
• Ben Hur (2000) noted that FIE has been
  disseminated in the United States since 1978. In
  the USA thousands of teachers have been trained
  to use IE, and each year about 10,000 students
  benefit.
• Example FIE project in Taunton,
  Massachusetts where all third to fifth graders
  received the program. The ethos of IE pervaded
  the school. IE was integrated into the
  curriculum, and was used to guide a systemic
  reform.
• Findings Included improvements in students
  ability to learn and their academic performance
  cumulative increases in reading comprehension
  scores for the IE group, relative to those of a
  control group a decrease in student drop-out
  rate (Williams and Kopp, 1994),

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SPAIN

• Dyslexia and Reading Problems Sanchez (1991)  
• Subjects 25 and 22 matched students from a
  rural school in an experimental (IE) and control
  (C) with low scores on a written spoken
  language test.
• Procedure IE group was given 3 hours of 7 IE
  instruments per week for 3 years. Also, the
  author designed special materials, facilitating
  the transfer of IE tasks to language.
• Evaluation Students were post-tested on he
  intelligence and language tests. The IE group
  improved significantly more than the C group on
  measures of verbal and intellectual functioning.

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NEW ZEALAND

• IE with the Deaf
• Thickpenny (1982) found positive results with FIE
  for the cognitive skills and academic achievement
  of profoundly deaf adolescent students at a
  school for the deaf in Auckland.
• Positive results with FIE for the deaf were also
  found by Keane (1983) and Martin(1993 ) in the
  USA. 
• Implications for education the cognitive
  deficiencies of children which are preventing
  them from achieving acceptable academic levels
  can be identified, and remediated by and IE
  programme , that has been especially adapted for
  the deaf

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SCOTLAND

• IE for Students with Behavioral and Emotional
  Difficulties (Soden, 2005) Method
  Controlled study of 32 primary and secondary
  teachers, and 67 students from Grade 5 to Grade
  10, with a history of poor scholastic
  achievement due to socio- emot or behavioral
  probs.
• Findings (inter alia) increases in targeted
  aspects of cognitive functioning connected with
  school attainment motivation and confidence for
  learning awareness among teachers, tackling
  cognitive deficiencies improved attitudes and
  behavior towards learners.
• Evaluation the approach offers a coherent
  whole-school approach to raising ability and
  attainment Contin of the IE program throughout
  the schools in the particular District was
  supported.

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BELGIUM

• IE for Learning Disabled Children with
  Socio-emotional Problems (Schnitzer 2007).  
• Sample 11 to 13 year old students with learning
  disabilities and behavior problems in special
  schools.
• Outcome After receiving 14 sessions of FIE, the
  children showed a marked increase in certain
  cognitive functions (including hypothetical
  thinking, perception and understanding of humor).
  
• A significant effect on socio-emotional behavior
  was evident qualitatively, in interviews.
• Conclusions programs such as FIE may become
  powerful instruments to help children as well as
  teachers in a highly differentiated inclusive
  school environment.

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ISRAEL

• IE with Ethiopian Immigrants
• Kozulin Lurie (1994) IE intervention over 16
  months, significantly improved teachers
  cognitive functioning
• Kozulin (2009) the cognitive processes of adult
  immigrants improved significantly after an
  intensive cog ed programme (IE, literacy,
  numeracy studies, and infusion of the IE
  principles into the curriculum)
• Gouzman Kozulin (2009) significant increase
  in students admitted to a technological colleg ,
  (relative to a control group) after a
  twice-weekly one semester IE course, with
  bridging of the IE tasks and principles to
  mathematics and science curricula material.

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SOUTH AFRICA Cognitive Research Programme,
Division of Specialised Education, University of
the Witwatersrand1989-2003
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IE Training and Teaching in SA
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Cognitive Research Programme - Major Research
Projects in MLE, IE and LPAD (1989-2003)

• IE with Disadvantaged Gifted Adolescents in SA
  the Soweto Gifted Child Programme
• MLE IE with Teachers-in-Training in Colleges
  throughout South Africa
• MLE IE with In-Service Teachersin Jhb Cape
  Town
• Cross-Cultural Applications in Schools
  Universities
• Multicultural Applications in Schools
• Applications in Areas of Special Interest (e.g.
  special needs schools, technical high school,
  church ministers)

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IE and TeachersFindings of Research

• Increases teacher motivation.
• Changes teachers conceptions of education and
  attitudes to students.
• Improves their metacognition and questioning (of
  selves, the system and their techniques).
• Enhances use of cognitive strategies.
• Fosters social consciousness.
• Provides a techniques for bridging gaps.
• Explicit training in bridging is necessary

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IE and TeachersFindings of Research

• Enhances teachers own cognitive functioning.
• Improves teachers professional and personal
  self-concepts.
• Increases their autonomy and creativity.
• Enhances teaching skills, insights and attitudes.
• Achieves measurable changes in the teaching/
  mediational process.

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SOUTH AFRICA

• IE with Disadvantaged Gifted Adolescents (Skuy
  et al., 1990) 
• Programme 120 Gifted Black Grade 7 8 children
  from sociopolitically disadvantaged backgrounds
  were provided with extra input in academic
  subjects every Saturday morning in the Soweto
  Gifted Programme
• Findings Relative to a control group, and over
  two years, IE conducted within the programme and
  bridged to the academic subjects taught, improved
  the cognitive and socio-emotional functioning of
  Grade 7 and 8 students.

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IE CO-ORDINATOR / TEACHER
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SOUTH AFRICA

• Cross cultural comparison of the effects of IE on
  children in a mining town(Skuy et al 1995)  
• Programme IE combined with concurrent provision
  to their teachers of training in MLE and of
  curriculum packages bridging IE concepts was
  given to Black, Coloured and White English
  Afr-speaking 5th Grade pupils in the segregated
  schools of a mining town.
• Results Post-intervention improvements for all
  groups on cognitive measures were significant,
  especially for the Black group
• Conclusions This particular model of IE
  intervention may be of value in rural
  communities, where resources and qualified
  manpower is scarce.

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SOUTH AFRICA

• A Cognitive Approach to Promoting Multicultural
  Awareness and Co- existence in the Classroom
  (Skuy et al., 1997) 
• Programme This included teaching IE in
  combination with appropriate exercises from
  Hoopes multicultural developmental process. This
  is exemplified in the next slide

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Hoopes and IE
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Cognitive Approach to Promoting Multicultural
Awareness and Co- existence in the Classroom
(Skuy et al., 1997) 

• Findings The role of IE in improving
  multicultural understanding interaction through
  the mediation of relevant cognitive operations
  was demonstrated in the changed undergone by the
  experimental group

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Overview Instrumental Enrichment 

• involves a practical approach based on sound
  psychological theory. Conversely, it affords a
  systematic, in depth and comprehensive
  implementation of theoretical and educational
  principles
• has been extensively and positively tested by
  research helps to inform and modify the nature
  of its applications
• allows for flexible and innovative methods and
  models of implementation, depending on resources,
  levels of expertise, target population, purpose
  of implementation etc

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Overview Instrumental Enrichment 

• is an excellent tool for developing the
  meditational skills of teachers and vocational
  trainers, and of alerting them to the cognitive
  needs of their students.
• has for many years been implemented and further
  developed in projects throughout the world,
  attesting to its universal and multicultural
  nature, and to its intrinsic value