Cognitive functioning and development of young children – A cross cultural study
Project description
Israel is a multi-cultural country and each culture has its unique characteristics. I believe cultural characteristics are important as among other things they relate to cognitive functioning and development, which are crucial for learning. Children from different cultures may find it easier to learn in different ways and/or in different pace.
In the present study two major cultural factors – values and religiosity - will be investigated in association with cognitive functioning among Israeli preschoolers and young elementary school children. The results of the study will shed light on how cultural characteristics should be considered when designing curriculum both in terms of skills and subject matters (‘what’ should be emphasized and developed) and in terms of settings (‘how’ it should be done). This is not to say what is the "correct" age for a given skill to develop but rather to better understand the differences in development and to suggest in the future that children will learn in a culture-fit curriculum to enable them increase their achievements and reduce the gaps between children from different cultures. Better understanding of differences in cognitive development between cultures might enable us in the future to better design culturally specific learning materials and teaching techniques.
About me
I hold B.A in Psychology and Education from the Open University of Israel and M.A in Learning disabilities from Tel Aviv University, graduated summa cum laude. Given my long and extensive experience working with children from different cultures as a gymnastics coach and after being involved in various research projects studying cognitive and academic performance among children I realized the important role that social and cultural factors play in learning. I became aware of how critical it is to be able to support the development of cognitive functions such as sustained attention, response inhibition and cognitive control that serve as building blocks in learning. I began my Ph.D. studies on October 2019 and my research is focusing on cultural factors in cognitive functioning and development among young Jewish and Arab children in Israel.