Attentional functioning patterns in early school children: risk groups Cover Image

Funkcjonowanie uwagi u dzieci w wieku wczesnoszkolnym: grupy ryzyka
Attentional functioning patterns in early school children: risk groups

Author(s): Anna Nowotnik
Subject(s): Education
Published by: Instytut Badań Edukacyjnych
Keywords: cognitive psychology; attention span; impulsivity; inattention; inhibitory control; perception; risk group

Summary/Abstract: The main purpose of the paper was to analyse the characteristics of attention in early school children and to identify risk groups. The study involved 256 primary school children in grades I–III. First, second and third grade pupils made up 33%, 31% and 36% of the sample, respectively. Five attention measures (concentration, perception, impulsivity, inattention and cognitive inhibition) were investigated. The three-colour version of the Stroop Test (1935) was applied as the cognitive inhibition task. The D2 Test of Attention by R. Brickenkamp (Polish version by E. R. Dajek, 2003) was used to measure concentration, perceptual abilities, impulsiveness and inattention. The cluster analysis method of k-means was used. Five significantly different groups of children were identified, classified as: ‘uncoordinated’, ‘average’, ‘impulsive’, ‘focused’ and ‘distracted’. Only the ‘average’ and ‘focused’ revealed the significant dominance of certain age groups regarding concentration. In the case of ‘average’, most children were in grade I, while in the case of ‘focused’ most were in grade III. Significant gender differences were only shown with girls dominating as ‘impulsive’.

  • Issue Year: 117/2012
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 87-102
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Polish