An Appraisal of Cognitive Skills Acquired Through a Culinary Program While Using the Instructional Methods of In Vivo and Video Modelling

Abstract

The study focuses on what helps improve learning for people with intellectual disabilities. Participants participated in a research project that consisted in a cooking programme that is a part of the independent living programme. During this study, the participants conducted five different cooking sessions to learn about cooking. The participants were informed that they will also be assessed formatively for cognitive skills that are learnt through the lifespan of the cooking programme. The cooking component is a part of the overall programme that prepares people with intellectual disabilities for future employment, some of whom also choose the hospitality sector. For this study, the chosen focused on independent living skills. The study set out to conduct a pretest-posttest type of experimental study where learners underwent a five-part cooking programme via the instructional methods of in vivo and video modelling. The participants were then asked to complete the task at home by themselves with the use of the video that had been recorded in class. Participants were also asked to present their work at the following session. After each recipe was completed, the participants were asked to reflect on their cooking journey via a form that was filled in online. As with pretest and posttest experiments, the participants were assessed before the experiment and were asked to fill in a similar form questioning them about whether their cognitive skills improved over the course of the five sessions by the end of the project. The results showed that there are a number of aids and barriers when completing tasks. Furthermore, having a personal instructor and the use of video were the preferred forms of learning among this study group. Following visual instructions was also perceived to ameliorate the learning experience of people with intellectual disabilities. Another aspect of learning that emerged was learning that occurred through the use of the different senses. Seeing and listening to the videos with the possibility of fuller control as to when to start, stop or repeat the video also helped. Tasting and smelling the food gave more control too because the results were more tangible.