Avital Ben Dror Lankri

Constantiner School of Education, Tel Aviv University

PI: Dr. Ella Daniel

Co-Supervisor:

Prof. Dorit Ravid

The Association between Language Development and Pro-social Behavior in Middle ChildhoodProject description

Project description

This project aims to shed light on the linguistic antecedents of pro-social behavior in middle childhood and to determine possible mechanisms underlying the association between them, including children’s understanding of mental states of the self and others, and the conceptualization of social values.

In recent years, schools have become increasingly focused on social and emotional learning, acknowledging its contribution to learning processes. However, not much is known about the associations between social and cognitive development in middle childhood, that can support this transition. Recent research emphasizes the associations between language acquisition and social interactions yet focuses mainly on early childhood. Middle childhood may be especially important as it marks the first years of schooling and navigating peer social relations. 

This longitudinal study is the first to follow a group of children from 6 to 10 years of age, focusing both on linguistic and social development. The subjects have been assessed four times to measure social (values, behavior) and linguistic skills (morpho-lexical knowledge, narratives, literacy and mental words). This thorough follow-up allows a first glimpse into within-individual processes of development.

About me

After finishing a BA in Education and Philosophy at Ben Gurion University, I acquired teaching certification at Teach First Israel's (Hotam) program, which seeks to bring equality of opportunity to low SES populations through training and placing top-quality teachers. I was a homeroom teacher, literacy and pedagogy coordinator at an elementary school in Bat Yam for 7 years. In order to discover how to better assist my students to overcome their difficulties I went to study an MA in Learning Disorders at Tel-Aviv University. My MA thesis at Tel Aviv University, under Prof. Dorit Ravid, focused on new methods to promote literacy skills in children from low SES. That research was presented at the 2019 Israel Association of Literacy and Language conference.

While working at school, I constantly searched for ways to achieve meaningful learning. I recognized two strong elements that contributed to my students’ learning – pro-social abilities and linguistic skills. I have focused on creating special projects encouraging the development of both. However, looking for research in this field, I discovered that not much is known about the associations between social and cognitive development in middle childhood. I decided to pursue research on this connection to fill this gap in knowledge and promote more effective learning.