Role of Cultural Factors in School Relevant Cognitive Functioning: Synthesis of Findings on Cultural Contexts, Cultural Orientations, and Individual Differences. Report No. 42

摘要

For many African American children from low-income backgrounds, cognitive performance can be enhanced in contexts thematically characterized by aspects of Afrocultural ethos. This report presents and describes the results of six experimental studies (two studies on each) on three cultural themes of primary interest, namely movement, communalism, and verve. For each of them, the authors review the research concerning previous studies, present the analyses and results of the two studies devoted to that theme, and synthesize and discuss the findings of the six investigations collectively. The results of the current body of research were generally consistent with previous findings and added to the literature on African American children.s learning and achievement performance in areas such as cognitive processing, comprehension of story and textbook material, creative problem solving and task engagement, academic-related task performance, experimental task performance, and motivation.