Het werkgeheugen van begaafde leerlingen op de basisschool

Abstract

This study investigated the correlation between intelligence and working memory. The differences between gifted and non-gifted pupils on a variety of working memory tasks were examined as well as the influence of an intervention on the working memory of gifted pupils. Finally the effect of the intervention on motivation was examined. The sample consisted of 50 pupils between the age of 6.2 and 8.2 years. From those, 25 pupils participated in the intervention class and 25 were in the control group. Another 24 children were placed in a matched group. The matched group was used to compare the differences between working memory of gifted and non-gifted pupils. They children came from 5 different primary schools in the Netherlands. Results show that there is a significant correlation between intelligence and working memory. There was also a significant difference between the working memory of gifted and non-gifted pupils. The intervention had no significant effect on the different tasks of the working memory test. Pupils did not show a significant improvement in their working memory capacity. The intervention had no significant effect on the motivation of the gifted pupils. These findings suggest that working memory and intelligence are two concepts that cannot be seen apart and that working memory of gifted and non-gifted pupils differs. This study did not demonstrate that the working memory of gifted pupils can be trained by an intervention program like this. Finally, the intervention did not influence the motivation of the gifted.