LEARNING POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT AND ADAPTATION TO THE EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT: THE USEFULNESS OF THE ACFS FOR ASSESSING IMMIGRANT PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

• Published in: Psychology in the schools Vol. 50; no. 7; pp. 705 - 721
• Main Authors: Calero, M. Dolores, Mata, Sara, Carles, Rosario, Vives, Carmen, López-rubio, Sonia, Fernández-parra, Antonio, Navarro, Elena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-08-2013; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Alternative Assessment; Biological and medical sciences; Child Behavior; Children; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Tests; Differences; Educational psychology; Execution; Foreign Countries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Immigrants; Intelligence Tests; Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test; Language Proficiency; Learning potential; Metacognition; Noncitizens; Orientation. Evaluation; Preschool Children; Pretests Posttests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Quasiexperimental Design; Questionnaires; Scores; Spain (Andalusia); Spanish Speaking; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised); Spain (Andalusia); Europe; Spain; Social environment; Human; Preschool age; Academic evaluation; Immigrant; Visual memory; Memory; Cognitive ability; Metacognition; Cognition; Academic ability; School environment; Auditory memory; Learning; Verbal ability; Acquisition process; Language; Cultural environment; Child
• ISSN: 0033-3085; 1520-6807
• DOI: 10.1002/pits.21701

The objective of this study was to test the usefulness of dynamic assessment for determining cognitive abilities such as classification, auditory and visual memory, pattern sequences, perspective taking, verbal planning, learning potential, and metacognition in immigrant preschool children with and without competence in the dominant language (Spanish). One hundred seventy‐six preschool‐children were distributed in three groups according to the cultural background of their parents (native Spanish/Spanish‐speaking immigrants/non‐Spanish speaking immigrants). The children were assessed by means of the K‐BIT, the Application of Cognitive Functions Scale (ACFS), and metacognition, language competence and academic performance estimates. The results show that although there are initial differences in execution between the two groups (Spanish/immigrants), there are no differences with regard to learning potential. The study also demonstrates the importance of behavioral, attitudinal, and metacognitive variables in children's test execution and academic performance.