"Narrowing the Achievement Gap in Low-Achieving Children by Targeted Executive Function Training"

Associate Professor Susanne Jaeggi has published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, with colleagues from Zhejiang University, China: "Narrowing the Achievement Gap in Low-Achieving Children by Targeted Executive Function Training."

Abstract

By comparing the performance of two low-achieving (LA) training groups, targeting working memory (WM) or inhibitory control (IC), respectively, with that of a matched LA group and a normal-achieving (NA) group, the present study aimed to test whether cognitive training might be helpful to narrow the gap between the LA children and their (NA) peers. We tested children's Chinese language skills, math and fluid intelligence (Gf) at baseline, posttest, as well as two months after training completion. We observed training-related improvement in Chinese language skills, and furthermore, a substantial reduction of the achievement gap in Chinese between the trained groups and the NA control group at follow-up. These findings provide further evidence for the malleability of executive function, and demonstrate that targeted interventions can facilitate the acquisition of Chinese language skills, suggesting that low-cost interventions can be used to supplement regular classroom activities to benefit children who struggle academically.

Wang, C., Jaeggi, S. M., Yang, L., Zhang, T., He, X., Buschkuehl, M., & Zhang, Q. (2019). Narrowing the achievement gap in low-achieving children by targeted executive function training. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 63, 87-95.