Refereed journal article or data article (A1)
Specific training of working memory and counting skills in kindergarten
List of Authors: Kaisa Kanerva, Minna Kyttälä
Publisher: The Danish School of Education, Aarhus University
Publication year: 2016
Journal: CURSIV
Issue number: 18
Start page: 93
End page: 110
eISSN: 1901-8886
Early counting skills at preschool age rely on children’s working memory
resources and predict children’s later achievement in mathematics at school. The
aim of this study was to study and compare the effects of four different working
memory training tasks in improving working memory (near transfer) and early
counting skills (far transfer) in preschool children. The training conditions were
verbal and visuospatial short-term memory training and verbal and visuospatial
working memory training. Ninety-nine children were randomly assigned to one
of four working memory training groups or to an active or passive control group.
The computerized training was conducted twice a week for a five-week period in
kindergarten settings. Our results show that specific working memory training
did not enhance performance in working memory tasks or performance in tests
of early counting skills. Our study suggests that a deeper understanding of the
utility of different working memory training methods requires further studies that
focus on the boundaries of the amount of training needed to enhance children’s
working memory and counting in kindergarten settings.