BÄRENstark! – Working memory competencies of children with learning difficulties

Background

The project BÄRENstark! (as strong as a bear) assesses working memory in primary school children with different learning difficulties. It focuses on learning problems in written language (reading and/or spelling), difficulties in math and learning difficulties that occur together in both these areas. In many cases, it is not possible to find a reason for the observed learning difficulties because the children are highly motivated at least at the beginning of skills acquisition and show good learning outcomes in other academic and non-academic domains. In fact, even children who are normally gifted can show learning difficulties. One possible cause of learning difficulties might be grounded in underlying information processing. For example, special features of the working memory have been observed in affected children.

What is the working memory?

The working memory is a short-term memory which maintains awareness of the sound of language and visual-spatial information for a few seconds, so that the information can be processed and understood. This is important for reading and writing, because this involves the recognition and processing of sound-language information. For example, our working memory enables us to store the words of a sentence we have just read for a short period of time, and to correlate them for interpreting the meaning of the sentence. Calculating also involves a visual-spatial demand on information processing because quantities and spaces are involved. If information is imprecisely stored in working memory or disintegrates too soon, reading, spelling or calculating are made difficult.

Research questions

Scientific studies have found out that children with learning difficulties have reduced working memory capacities in certain areas. As yet it is unclear whether this causes the learning difficulties. To understand the interplay of working memory and school achievement better, we assess how working memory develops in the course of time and how these developments are connected to school achievement. It is not only interesting to find out which areas of the working memory are affected, but also to examine in what areas the development is normal or where we might even find strengths. For example, some studies have demonstrated that children with dyslexia are particularly good at memorising pictures. Therefore, we want to examine whether typical working memory profiles can be found for the different learning difficulties. Based on these findings, special needs interventions can be developed in future, which on one hand strengthen or support the affected working memory areas, and on the other hand tap the strengths to make learning easier.

Objectives of the project

The project BÄRENstark! aims to gain more insight into the causes of learning difficulties, so that learning difficulties can be better understood and recognized. Knowledge of the specific working memory characteristics enables a clear diagnosis of learning difficulties: We can distinguish between learning difficulties that contradict our expectation and other learning difficulties that can be clearly explained. These explainable underachievements include difficulties that result from poor language skills, emotional or motivational factors. In this case changes in conditions will improve learning achievement. Other learning difficulties, however, emerge unexpectedly, and they can be persistent and difficult to influence. One reason might be characteristics of the working memory. Diagnosing the working memory may help us understand why a child shows learning difficulties.

Relevance for future research and practice

Knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses in different working memory components in children with learning difficulties can be used for developing new approaches to supporting the children. Acquisition of reading, writing and math skills might be made easier if teaching materials are less demanding on the affected working memory areas and instead call on the strong working memory components so that learning is made easier. There is also some evidence that the working memory can be trained: first research findings support the idea that training the working memory might result in better learning achievement.

Funding

BÄRENstark! is financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for initially three years.

Co-operation partners

Apart from the DIPF, three other scientific institutions take part in the project:

Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Institute for Psychology 
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Büttner
Julia Klesczewski

Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Institute for Education
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Grube 
Claudia Schmidt

Foundation University Hildesheim, Institute for Psychology 
Prof. Dr. Claudia Mähler 
Dr. Kirsten Schuchardt
Christina Balke