Adolescents' Cognitive Development

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- Problem: 

Across the nation, curricular reforms have emphasized argumentative thinking and reasoning skills (e.g., Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010), its significance is unequivocally salient to both teachers and middle school students. However, a wide gap prevails in the knowledge of teachers’ beliefs in the nature of argumentative reasoning and the development of argumentative reasoning skills. As a result, there are no effective ways to help students develop this skill. 

- Solution: 

I led research teams to design and implement interventions to help adolescents develop cognitive skills using zoom. 

  -   Participants: 

      100 students who lived in remote villages in China. 

  -   Research Method: 

• Intervention – taught courses consisting of various in-class activities, such as engaging in electronic dialogues and debate sessions (four hours a day for two months via Zoom). 
• In-depth interview with parents, teachers, and students to gain a thorough understanding of their thought processes and motivation.

- Measurement: 

• Pretest- posttest assessment: composed of multiple questions and essay tasks to assess students' argumentative and multivariable thinking skills. 

   -    Constructed repeatable framework of cognitive interventions for adolescents around the world using technologies. 

   -    Adolescents demonstrated measurable improvements in cognitive functioning by analyzing pre-post assessment.

   -    This track of work left a positive legacy and a comprehensive playbook for educational interventions for disadvantaged kids all over the world.