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About this paper symposium
| Panel information |
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| Panel 27. Solicited Content: Global South |
| Paper #1 | |
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| Leave no child behind: Validating novel executive function measures representing children’s experiences in rural Bangladesh | |
| Author information | Role |
| Ishita Ahmed, Stanford University, United States | Presenting author |
| Jelena Obradovic, Stanford University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction: There is a clear lack of holistic child development measures adapted and validated for the unique contextual experiences of children in LMICs, which perpetuates global inequities (Draper et al., 2022). This study validates novel EF measures with children ages 5-11 years old in rural Bangladesh that represent their everyday experiences. Building on mixed-methods field research, we designed a novel EF task and adapted a parent-report measure of children’s EF behaviors. Participants: The sample for this study consists of parents and children ages 5-11 years old in a diverse sample of 448 households in the Rangpur and Magura Districts of Bangladesh. Data collection began in August 2024 and will be completed in October 2024. The current analytic sample includes 188 children (48% female, average age is 8 years old). Methods: Eight enumerators administered a parent survey and multiple direct assessment tasks with children in each household. The parent survey included the adapted Executive Function From Observation and Reflection Tool (EFFORT) with examples relevant for the Bangladeshi context (α = 0.92). Children performed two existing tablet-based EF tasks. The Hearts and Flowers task (H&F; Davidson et al., 2006) measures inhibitory control (i.e., the ability to suppress dominant goal-irrelevant responses) and cognitive flexibility skills (i.e., the ability to switch between competing task rules) (Diamond, 2013). The Memory Game task measures short-term memory (i.e., the ability to hold information over a short timeframe) and working memory (i.e., the ability to hold and update information while performing some operation on it) (Diamond, 2013). To examine whether children performed differently on contextually adapted tasks, we used insights from qualitative fieldwork to design a novel working memory task. The novel Body Span task incorporates concepts children use to learn how to pray into a direct assessment task. Children follow the assessor to perform different actions (touch their head, shoulders, elbow, knees, stomach) in different sequences of increasing length. The task is administered forwards and backwards. In contrast, children also performed an existing word span task where children verbally repeated different forwards and backwards sequences of words. Children also took the Raven’s test, the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), and the Early Grade Math Assessment (EGMA). Results: Children successfully completed the different EF direct assessment tasks and reported understanding the task instructions. We examined the correlation among all the measures as well as the predictive validity of the different EF measures for the Raven’s test, EGRA, and EGMA. Table 1 shows the correlation between the different EF measures and covariates. Overall, the EFFORT survey has the lowest correlation with the other EF measures, which is expected since it is a parent-report of children’s behaviors instead of a direct assessment task. The direct assessment tasks are moderately correlated with each other. Figure 1 demonstrates predictive validity of the measures with the coefficients from for regressions of EGRA, EGMA, and the Raven’s Test on each EF measure separately. These results suggest both the EFFORT survey and Body Span tasks demonstrate concurrent and predictive validity. |
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| Paper #2 | |
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| Digital, game-based assessment of children’s SEL skills: Development and validation of the MiniSEL in Colombia | |
| Author information | Role |
| Dr. Nikhit D'Sa, Ed.D., University of Notre Dame, United States | Presenting author |
| Ana María Velásquez, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia | Non-presenting author |
| Enrique Chaux, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction: Strong social and emotional learning (SEL) during childhood is associated with positive academic and life outcomes (Deer et al., 2020; Durlak et al., 2010). Since 2003 the Ministry of Education of Colombia has implemented a national program to promote SEL skills (citizenship competencies). These competencies are measured through national tests (Bustamante et al., 2020). While important progress has been made in large-scale measurement of SEL skills in Colombia, current instruments rely mainly on self-report measures limited by social desirability bias and have primarily focused on measuring these skills in older children. With the increasing use of tablets and smartphones by young children, important efforts have been made to develop digital assessments of children’s abilities (Csapó et al., 2014; Neumann & Neumann, 2019; Semmelmann et al. 2016). Game-based, digital assessments provide important advantages for the measurement of children’s SEL skills; for example, they do not require trained investigators, and they may enhance children’s engagement in assessment activities. Methods: This study focused on developing a contextually relevant, game-based instrument—MiniSEL—that could facilitate the direct assessment of SEL skills in preschool and early primary school students in Colombia. This paper focuses on the results of a pilot validation of three of the skills: emotional dysregulation, inhibitory control, and delay of gratification. Emotional dysregulation—process of initiating, inhibiting, and modulating the conscious aspects of emotion to effectively achieve one’s goals (Eisenberg & Morris, 2002)—was measured by averaging the number of clicks during and after two tasks that were designed to generate frustration by being impossible to achieve. Inhibitory control—ability to withhold or delay a predominant response (Carlson & Moses, 2001)—was measured with four short spatial Stroop tasks that included task switching. Delay of gratification—ability to postpone an immediate reward to achieve long-term gains (Mischel & Ebbesen, 1970)—was measured by three tasks in which participants could reach more or better rewards by choosing a slower game option. Sample: We piloted MiniSEL with 370 K-3 students (50.3% female) from 5 urban and 2 rural schools in Cúcuta and Soacha. Students participated in groups of 6, each with a tablet and headphones to hear the instructions. Results: Internal reliability was good for emotional dysregulation, but moderate for inhibitory control, and poor for the delay of gratification task (see Table 1). Therefore, the three indicators of delay of gratification were not averaged but analyzed individually. An Exploratory Factor Analysis defined a model that matched our theoretical frame for the three skills and demonstrated a good fit to the data. Concurrent validity was evaluated with the five dimensions of the teacher-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire instrument (Goddman et al., 1997). As we illustrate in Table 2, the findings for concurrent validity were mixed. Although small, all the significant correlations were in the expected direction. Discussion: These results are promising and indicate that MiniSEL is an important step in developing game-based, digital SEL assessments for young children in Colombia. We discuss the possible future uses of the MiniSEL. |
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| Paper #3 | |
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| Piloting accessible tablet-based tasks to assess cognitive development in South Africa | |
| Author information | Role |
| Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Draper, Ph.D., SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa | Presenting author |
| Anna Blumenthal, CERVO Brain Research Center; Université Laval, Québec, Canada | Non-presenting author |
| Caylee J Cook, SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa | Non-presenting author |
| Erfan Ghalibaf, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada | Non-presenting author |
| Alain Pitiot, Open Science Tools, United Kingdom | Non-presenting author |
| Rebecca Hirst, Open Science Tools, Ireland | Non-presenting author |
| Hleliwe Makaula, SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa | Non-presenting author |
| Nonkululo Sikweyiya, SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa | Non-presenting author |
| Isabelle Blanchette, CERVO Brain Research Center; Université Laval, Québec, Canada | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Touchscreen tablets are feasible and acceptable for community-based data collection in African settings. However, the lack of open-source software for creating experiments on tablets that does not require programming skills limits optimisation of tablet-based experiments. To address this gap, we collaborated with Psychopy – open-source software widely used for experimental psychology – to create ZolaBongo, a tablet-based application to assess children and adults’ cognitive skills, not requiring an internet connection, and runs on an Android platform. The tasks currently on ZolaBongo measure visual abstract reasoning (Raven’s matrices), verbal reasoning (African Proverbs), cognitive flexibility (hearts and flowers), and working memory (forward and backward digit spans). These tasks were chosen by our community of practice, The African Brain and Cognitive Development Network. The aim of this study was to pilot the ZolaBongo tasks in a low-income South African setting. The study sample comprised 4-17y old children/adolescents (mean age 8.26 ± 3.39, 46% female) and their caregiver (mean age = 41.3 ± 9.41, 96% female; total n= 129 caregiver/child pairs), recruited from a low-income urban community in Cape Town. Methods: The ZolaBongo tasks were piloted using tablets alongside other questionnaires collecting demographic details, and Child Exposure to Community Violence. With this sample, we also piloted the Executive Functions from Observation and Reflection Tool (EFFORT, with local examples) using REDCap application (for collecting electronic data without internet connection). The EFFORT includes a caregiver questionnaire (answered about the focal child, and an assessor report for the same child, completed by the research assistant). All measures were administered by local research assistants fluent in the local language (isiXhosa), and trained to administer these measures, although they had no formal training in child development. Results: Overall, research assistants found that ZolaBongo and EFFORT were easy to use, and that participants enjoyed the experience. The working memory tasks performed well, with the backward digit span task being more difficult than the forward digit span task (Figures 1 and 2), but no floor or ceiling effects were detected, and scores correlated well (r=0.51 in adults, r=.58 in children). Digit span scores also correlated well with the Raven’s matrices (r=.31-.33 in adults, r=.19-.22 in children), and varied according to schooling level as would be expected, confirming the usefulness of this task. The proverbs task did not work well, showing major floor effects. In contrast, the hearts and flowers task worked particularly well; accuracy was at ceiling for the first two blocks, reaction times were slower in the second and third blocks, with positive inhibition and switching costs. Inhibition costs were negatively related to Raven’s matrices scores in adults (r=-27) and to forward digit span scores in children (r=-.28). There was no association between Child Exposure to Community Violence scores and child cognitive performance, which echoes previous findings from similar contexts in South Africa. The EFFORT tool showed high internal consistency for both the caregiver questionnaire (µ = 0.878), and the assessor report (µ = 0.892); total scores were also significantly correlated well with assessor report scores (0.635, p<0.001). |
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| Paper #4 | |
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| Culturally relevant executive function assessment: A pilot study in Yucatan Mexico and the United States | |
| Author information | Role |
| Dr. Lucia Alcalá, Ph.D., California State University, Fullerton, United States | Presenting author |
| Lindsey Richland, University of California, Irvine, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Katherine Rhodes, University of California, Irvine, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Suzanne Gaskins, Northeastern Illinois University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction: Executive Function (EF) refers to high level cognitive skills necessary to engage in goal oriented behavior, regulate thoughts, emotions, and actions (Obradovic et al., 2018). A wide variety of tasks are used to measure EF skills including inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. However, these tasks are standardized based on the experience of white middle-class children resulting in inaccurate results for children from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, using the current EF tasks with children from diverse backgrounds we create group differences that can be used to often blame children for their poor performance without questioning the cultural biases embedded in the tests (Gaskins & Alcalá, 2023). To address this issue, the present study aimed to examine cultural variations in children’s daily experiences and how these related to their EF skills using a standardized task and a newly developed task. Participants and Study Site: This cross-cultural study took place in Yucatan Mexico and in a university laboratory in Southern California. Participants included five to seven-year-old Yucatec Maya children (N = 12) and middle-class U.S.A children (N = 12). The Yucatec Maya children are from a small rural community, in which parents allow children to exercise a great deal of autonomy in organizing their activities, making decisions and executing social responsibilities (Alcalá & Cervera, 2022). Method: A local research assistant administered a set of standardized EF tasks and the newly developed task that requires children to sort some items, finding matching pairs of bolts and nuts, while also paying attention to the water station where they had to fill three water containers that varied in size (See Figures 1-2). The video-recorded sessions were coded (in 30 second segments) for different attention patterns, self-regulation behaviors, and performance accuracy. Results: Preliminary findings suggest that Yucatec Maya children were more often able to show simultaneous attention, regulate their behavior by accurately sorting the bots and nuts, while also monitoring the water levels, without any clear break in their attention. They seemed to have a calm pace throughout the entire procedure and in a few cases asked the research assistants for feedback on the sorting task. On the other hand, White middle-class children from California more often demonstrated a turn-taking attention, sorting the bolts, or going to the water station to monitor the water level of the containers. Only children in this group engaged in self-talk, which seemed to help them stay on task and manage their attention. They also needed more support from the research assistant to stay focused and complete the entire task. Discussion: Preliminary results suggest that Yucatec Maya children demonstrated good EF skills and self-regulation behaviors by skillfully attending the two events at once. European-American children seemed to need more support to stay engaged on both tasks and used language to regulate their behavior. In general, the new task seemed to provide opportunities to observe a wide range of EFs and goal oriented behaviors, in a task that is relevant to the experiences of children in both communities, and with real-world consequences. |
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Contextually-Sensitive Assessments of Children’s Executive Function Skills and Behaviors in the Global South
Submission Type
Paper Symposium
Description
| Session Title | Contextually-Sensitive Assessments of Children’s Executive Function Skills and Behaviors in the Global South |