Literacy, Intelligence, and Academic Achievement Zembar and Blume Middle Childhood Development: A Contextual Approach, First Edition ©2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved

Applied Cognition in Academic Contexts Language Development: – Semantic development – understanding word meaning- continues throughout middle childhood Comprehension of multiple word use Word comprehension relies on the context of the conversation and what the person intended to say – Syntax development – grammatical understanding and construction Differentiation between active and passive voice Increased correct use of subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement

Applied Cognition in Academic Contexts Language Development: – Pragmatic Development – the social etiquette of language use Children become better at maintaining and contributing to a conversation Shading Better listeners Understand when they are misunderstood and clarify their meaning

Applied Cognition in Academic Contexts Reading: – In the U.S., fourth grade is when the demands of reading increase dramatically, the shift is from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” – Children in middle childhood show rapid word recognition – Increased self-monitoring of comprehension – Increased inferencing

Applied Cognition in Academic Contexts Writing: – Children in middle childhood show improvement in the technical features of writing – Stories become more coherent and properly sequenced – They generate more ideas for stories and use larger vocabularies – Become more capable of self-editing

Applied Cognition in Academic Contexts Mathematical Operations: – Children in early elementary grades master addition and subtraction, in later grades they are introduced to multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, ratios, and geometry – They invent their own effective strategies to solve problems – Mathematical concepts are learned better when linked with material familiar to the child

Theoretical Viewpoint The Psychometric Approach identifies the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of individuals or groups of individuals by: – Developing tests to assess intellectual skills – Using results to make predictions about future performance

Theoretical Viewpoint Theories of Intelligence: – Spearman (1904) – two-factor theory of intelligence; g and s – Thurstone (1938) - proposed a seven-factor model that consists of primary abilities such as: Verbal comprehension Number Perceptual speed Reasoning

Theoretical Viewpoint Measures of Intelligence: – Binet and Simon (1905) developed the first intelligence test It consisted of items that assessed memory, knowledge, and reasoning skills Has undergone numerous revisions and is now the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition

Theoretical Viewpoint Measures of Intelligence: – Currently, the most widely used intelligence tests are the Wechsler Scales (Wechsler, 1939) WPPSI – designed for infants and preschoolers WISC – designed for children (ages 6-16 years) WAIS – designed for adults

Theoretical Viewpoint Measures of Intelligence: – The Wechsler scales consist of both verbal items: Sample vocabulary item: What does corrupt mean?

Theoretical Viewpoint Measures of Intelligence: – And performance (non-verbal) items:

Theoretical Viewpoint Measures and Interpretation of Intelligence: – Both the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler scales yield an intelligence quotient (IQ) – The mean IQ score for both tests is 100 with a standard deviation of 15 – An IQ score represents how far the child’s raw score differs from the typical performance of same-aged individuals – IQ scores obtained after age 6 are related to later scores obtained in adulthood

Theoretical Viewpoint The Relationship of Intelligence to Academic Achievement and Occupation: – High IQs are related to academic achievement – IQ is related to job performance and job complexity – High IQs are related to greater success in academics and job-related performance

Theoretical Viewpoint Factors that Influence Intelligence Scores: – Socioeconomic status – Ethnicity – Years of schooling – Familiarity with the culture

Theoretical Viewpoint Alternative Views of Intelligence: – Sternberg (1985) developed the Triarchic Model of Intelligence; it consists of three types: 1.Componential: the ability to write clearly, calculate and reason about math 2.Experiential: the ability to formulate novel solutions to problems 3.Contextual: how to do accomplish socioculturally relevant tasks

Theoretical Viewpoint Alternative Views of Intelligence: – Gardner (1983) – suggested that there are multiple intelligences, such as: - Linguistic- Spatial - Musical- Logical-Mathematical - Bodily-Kinesthetic- Intrapersonal - Interpersonal- Naturalist -Existential