The Effects of Intervention in Seriation from the “Bright Start” Program on the Development of Seriational-Mathematical Thinking of Israeli Kindergarteners of Ethiopian and Russian Origin

Abstract

The author examined the effect of teaching the Pattern and Sequence (useriation) unit from the intervention program Bright Start on the development of seriational mathematical thinking in kindergartners of Israeli, Ethiopian, and Russian origin. In addition, the author examined the effect of the teaching of this unit on the capacity for cognitive change in this area within the study group of children. Bright Start is a plan for the development of thinking in early childhood. This program, developed by Haywood, Brooks, and Burns (1986, 1992), is based on four developmental theories:(a) Feuerstein’s theory of structural cognitive modifiability and mediated learning experience; (b) Piaget’s stages theory of cognitive development; (c) Vygotsky’s social-historical theory of cognitive development; Haywood’s transactional perspective on human abilities.This study was focused on one unit of the program, the unit dealing with the development of seriational thinking. The teaching of this unit, like the remaining units in the program, is based on the mediational teaching style. The main emphasis of the study was placed on the comparison of three groups of different origin in Israel; therefore, no control group was examined.40 kindergartners from a disadvantaged area in Israel’s central region were examined, of whom 9 were native Israelis, 11 were of Russian origin, and 20 were of Ethiopian origin. The chidren were given several tests before and after the program. The examination consisted of three stages. At the beginning of the school year, the children underwent three tests to assess their ability to solve problem tasks when creating series with different elements. Subsequently, the intervention plan was taught with the aim of fostering cognitive skills of planning, comparison, relating to several sources of information, and restraining impulsiveness. Towards the end of the year, the children were again examined, and they underwent the three tests that they had done in the beginning of the year, checking their ability to solve tasks when creating series with different elements. In addition, the extent of internalization of the various skills was examined, as well as the capacity to apply skills to the area of arithmetic.As stated, this study focused on children of Ethiopian and Russian origin in comparison to native Israeli children. The decision to focus on children of Ethiopian origin derived from gaps that emerged in the learning process of this population as a result of the cultural difference that characterizes it. The children of Russian origin were part of the kindergarten’s population. They too manifested gaps as a result of cultural and social changes occurring among immigrants from the former Soviet Union.The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that intervention in specific thinking processes—in this case seriation from Bright Start at kindergarten age—will result in greater effectiveness and a significant cognitive ability to change in this area, particularly in children of Ethiopian origin whose initial cognitive level was poor. The hypothesis was confirmed that the children of Ethiopian descent did indeed evince initial inferiority visa-vis the other two groups, but after the intervention program they improved their performance and narrowed the gaps in comparison to the other groups. It is noteworthy that, according to the theory, cognitive processes are not related to any particular content or culture, but are suited to everyone. These processes were found to be beneficial to all of the children, but the cognitive change in seriational thinking as a result of the intervention program was particularly conspicuous in children of Russian origin.The effect of the intervention program was expressed in the ability to apply acquired skills to unstudied areas. Internalization of cognitive skills was apparent, as was the improved ability to comprehend a series and the acquisition of mathematical skills in all of the kindergarten children.The findings of this study have didactic implications relating to the significance of teaching seriation to kindergarten children. In addition, the study indicates the need for early education programs adapted to the population of children of Ethiopian and Russian origin in Israel.