This study aimed to test the impact of play on the development of executive functions (EFs) in preschoolers. Thirty-two games were designed to be collectively played in groups by 70 children, in their regular classes. The games were specifically designed to promote the development of the three components of EFs: inhibition (behavioral or cognitive), working memory, and cognitive flexibility. The games focused on each function were of three types: playground games, expression games, and classroom games. Sixty 45 minutes play sessions were held on consecutive days for 3 months, always in the first period. The sessions were guided by two members of the research team, assisted by the four teachers of the participating classes. The intervention was carried out in two highly socially vulnerable schools in the city of Santiago de Chile. Four classes were studied in total: two experimental groups and two controls. The classes were selected using a questionnaire on teacher-student interaction quality and an age homogeneity criterion. Executive functions were evaluated using the Hearts and Flowers task at three points: before the intervention (T1), immediately after the end of the intervention (T2), and 8 months after the end of the intervention (T3). The results show a significant difference in the growth of executive functions by comparing the experimental and control groups (p=.04) between T1 and T3. They also reveal a strong correlation between EFs measures at T1 and mathematics performance at T3. These results are discussed within the context of the guidelines proposed by Diamond and Ling (2016) and Barnett (2011) regarding what an EFs promotion program needs to be considered effective and high quality. The program presented in this study meets most of the requisites mentioned by the authors, which proves that following these guidelines guarantees a high probability of success.

Estandarización de la Escala Wechsler de Inteligencia Para Adultos-Cuarta Edición en Chile

Executive functions are psychological processes of great importance for proper functioning in various areas of human development, including academic performance. For this reason, from both clinical and educational perspectives, there is great interest in how they are assessed. This article describes the development and standardization process of Yellow-Red, an instrument for directly assessing executive functions in children between 6 and 11 years of age in a playful format using digital support. The test was based on a three-factor model of executive functioning: inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Yellow-Red comprises six subtests: cognitive inhibition, behavioral inhibition, auditory working memory, visual working memory, cognitive flexibility, and a global assessment test of executive functions. The test was administered to 245 boys and girls between 6 and 11 years of age. Along with the Yellow-Red subtests, gold standard tests were applied for each of the executive functions assessed. The test’s psychometric properties are powerful in both reliability and validity evidence. The reliability indices are all greater than 0.8. As evidence of convergent validity, correlations were established between the tests, and the tests considered gold standards. All correlations were significant, with values ranging between 0.42 and 0.73. On the other hand, the factor structure of the test was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. Although it is possible to demonstrate the progressive differentiation of the factor structure with age, it was only possible to find two factors at older ages, one for inhibition/flexibility and one for working memory.

La implementación de sistemas de educación inclusiva supone un desafío tanto a nivel de escuelas como respecto del desarrollo de las políticas públicas que la sustenten. La presente investigación compara los resultados obtenidos en habilidades cognitivas, precursores de la lectura, matemática inicial y problemas emocionales en estudiantes de educación inicial, 29 de ellos con discapacidad visual y 22 con discapacidad auditiva. Los resultados se analizaron en función del tipo de sistema escolar al que pertenecían los estudiantes, es decir, si estaban integrados en escuela regulares o si estudiaban en escuelas especiales. Los resultados indican la presencia de diferencias en el desempeño en las diversas áreas evaluadas según el tipo de discapacidad y el sistema escolar. Los resultados se discuten en torno a la importancia de diseñar estrategias y políticas educativas que se adapten a las características y necesidades de los estudiantes, considerando los recursos, tanto materiales como humanos, necesarios para generar un sistema educativo realmente inclusivo.

¿Pruebas Tradicionales o Evaluación Invisible a Través del Juego? Nuevas Fronteras de la Evaluación Cognitiva