Skills for Adaptability in the Global South: Researching Children's Executive Functions in Low-Income Contexts

斯蒂芬贝利的博士后奖学金将巩固，传播和扩大他的创新和跨学科的博士研究在低收入环境中的儿童发展的结果。他的博士学位专注于卢旺达学校的学习者如何培养适应能力，如创造力，创新和解决问题的能力。特别是，该研究研究了儿童的认知灵活性，包括创造性地“跳出框框”思考的能力，从不同的角度看待事物，并迅速适应不断变化的环境。在卢旺达的实地工作需要测量在四所公立小学就读的306名7-11岁学生的认知灵活性。儿童还接受了更广泛的学习成果评估，如识字，教师接受了采访和观察，以探索他们在课堂上的看法，行为和做法。研究结果表明，学习者的认知灵活性预测了他们的非语言推理和更广泛的认知发展，但不是他们的阅读技能。这是令人惊讶的，因为在高收入环境中的研究表明，儿童的灵活性和他们的识字率之间有很强的关系。在课堂上，教师使用以小组为基础的练习和实践活动来培养学生的适应能力，而频繁的语言转换也可能在无意中帮助孩子们适应。斯蒂芬的工作计划包括在卢旺达和国际上传播他的博士研究成果、建立网络和提高能力的活动。特别是，他将与卢旺达教师和政策制定者一起举办参与性活动，以突出儿童心理学对小学教育的重要性，并就他的研究提出的建议达成一致。此外，他还将在高质量的国际期刊上发表至少两篇文章，并建立一个全球研究人员网络，调查世界各地资源匮乏环境下儿童的认知发展。这将通过一系列至少六次网络研讨会来实现，对于确定最佳衡量做法、具有实际应用价值的研究重点以及与各国政府和教育决策者分享研究结果的有效手段至关重要。最后，计划的活动将包括准备扩大初步研究，在博士数据收集后3-4年重新访问和重新测试原始参与者。这将涉及编写供资提案，完成关于高级分析和利益攸关方沟通的培训，并与卢旺达大学和中非基督复临大学的潜在合作伙伴和研究合作者联络。

Stephen Bayley's postdoctoral fellowship will consolidate, disseminate and expand on the findings of his innovative and inter-disciplinary doctoral research on child development in low-income settings. His PhD focused on how learners in Rwandan schools develop skills for adaptability, such as creativity, innovation and problem solving. In particular, the study researched children's cognitive flexibility, which comprises the ability to think creatively 'outside the box', see things from different perspectives and adapt quickly to changing circumstances. The fieldwork in Rwanda entailed measuring cognitive flexibility among 306 pupils aged 7-11 attending four public primary schools. The children were also assessed on wider learning outcomes like literacy, and teachers were interviewed and observed to explore their perceptions, behaviours and practices in the classroom. The findings revealed that learners' cognitive flexibility predicted their non-verbal reasoning and wider cognitive development, but not their reading skills. This was surprising because research in higher-income settings has suggested a strong relationship between children's flexibility and their literacy. Within lessons, teachers used group-based exercises and practical activities to nurture pupils' adaptability, while frequent switching between languages might also inadvertently have helped the children to adjust. Stephen's work plan includes activities to disseminate his doctoral findings, build networks and increase capacity both in Rwanda and internationally. In particular, he will conduct participatory events with Rwandan teachers and policymakers to highlight the relevance of child psychology for primary education and to agree recommendations emerging from his research. In addition, he will publish at least two articles in high-quality international journals and create a global network of researchers investigating children's cognitive development in resource-poor settings worldwide. This will be achieved through a series of at least six webinars and will be important to identify best measurement practices, research priorities with real-life application, and effective means for sharing findings with national governments and education policymakers. Finally, planned activities will include making preparations to expand the initial study by revisiting and retesting original participants 3-4 years after the doctoral data collection. This will involve preparing funding proposals, completing trainings on advanced analyses and stakeholder communications, and liaising with potential partners and research collaborators at the University of Rwanda and Adventist University of Central Africa.