Improving cognitive abilities in socially and culturally disadvantaged children:The Evaluation of the Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment program
Abstract
Presentation reports data from one year evaluation study of the Instrumental Enrichment program in the context of Czech primary school. This study was designed to prove positive effect of IE training on cognitive abilities and school attainment of culturally (Romi children) and socially (Czech children from the low social economic status background) disadvantaged children.
This was the first time this kind of study was done in Czech Republic. It links to previous experience from research on Instrumental Enrichment implemented in the UK (Weller, Craft 1983, Beasley 1987, Blagg 1991).
Project was designed as a comparative study. We were interested in differences between experimental and control groups in the performance on assessment battery before and after intervention and also in changes at the level of childrens behaviour that happened as a result of intervention.
Assessment battery consisted of measures of cognitive abilities and IQ, school attainment tests and measures of self-esteem. Data from bo