Impact of a cognitive stimulation program on the reading comprehension of children in primary education

Abstract

Introduction: At present, numerous studies can be found in which influences and relationships between the principal executive functions, reading comprehension, and academic performance associated with reading are reported. However, there is still a lack of convergence regarding the impact of computerized cognitive training on children's executive development and its transfer in academic reading performance and comprehension of written texts.

Methods: This study analyzes the effect of implementing a cognitive stimulation program on the performance of reading comprehension and academic performance in the subject of Spanish Language and Literature. To this end, a total sample of 196 children from 23 educational centers received the cognitive intervention for 8 weeks, with three weekly sessions of between 15 and 20 min each occurring on non-consecutive days. Pre-test and post-test measurements were collected and analyzed.

Results: The results demonstrate a significant increase in the reading comprehension scores. In addition, a significant impact of the training on the participants' academic performance in the subject Spanish Language and Literature was found.

Discussion: These results highlight the usefulness of computerized cognitive stimulation programs for reading comprehension enhancement.

Keywords: academic performance; cognitive training; executive functions; reading; reading comprehension.

Figure 1

(Panel A) Mean reading comprehension level at pre-test and post-test in the CLP test (Panel A, left) and effect of the age of the participants as a moderator variable on the differential scores between pre-test and post-test (Panel A, right). (Panel B) Mean academic achievement at pre-test and post-test in the subject Spanish Language and Literature (Panel B, left) and effect of the socioeconomic status of the participants as a moderator variable on the differential scores between pre-test and post-test (Panel B, right). Means are presented with the 95% confidence intervals.