KEY FINDINGS FROM A STUDY OF CHESS DEVELOPMENT IN ABERDEEN S PRIMARY SCHOOLS

1. KEY FINDINGS FROM A STUDY OF CHESS DEVELOPMENT IN ABERDEEN�S PRIMARY SCHOOLS Understanding of Improved Cognition and Literacy Within a Framework of Social Capital Dod Forrest and Tony Glendinning

3. Primary Aims of the Study to assess the relationship between children's reading, other aspects of language and thinking skills and chess tuition; to identify the processes of networking at local, national and international levels in a sample of Aberdeen's primary schools within a framework of social capital.

4. Social Capital ��the most common function attributed to social capital is as a source of network-mediated benefits beyond the immediate family.� (Portes, 1998) �Many of the studies which measure social capital seem to assume that individual children are only influenced by family structure and school. They do not give account of the broader social context, such as friends, social networks, out of school activities, such as paid work and children�s activities in their communities.� (Morrow, 1999) Social capital acted as a framework for the study.Social capital acted as a framework for the study.

5. Literacy "To be fully literate is to be able to read, write and use numeracy, to handle information, to express ideas and opinions, to make decisions and solve problems, to learn as private individuals, family members, workers, citizens and lifelong learners in a rapidly changing world"

6. A Nested Study Design The �before and after� quasi-experimental study The �in-between� ethnographic case study

7. The �Before and After� Experiment Three P4 classes in two urban primary schools formed the basis for a pre-/post-test design over a period of three terms in 2003-4. Both schools were located in areas of poverty, as defined by a high incidence of free school meal entitlement. One class of 18 pupils at MSchool was coached to play chess. A second class of 18 pupils at MSchool received no chess coaching but was given additional computer assisted games sessions with approximately the same regularity over the period. Concurrently, a third P4 class of 18 pupils at DSchool received neither chess coaching sessions nor additional computer assisted learning during that period. This quasi-experimental design facilitated assessment of the relationship between the introduction of chess tuition sessions in one P4 classroom and arithmetic skills, behavioural adjustment and also comprehension, reading and spelling.

8. Fig 1(a). Baseline literacy scores(Hoteling�s T, not sig.)

9. Fig 1(b). Change in literacy scores(Hoteling�s T, p<0.05)

10. Fig 2(a). Baseline arithmetic and social adjustment scores (Hoteling�s T, not sig.)

11. Fig 2(b). Change in arithmetic and social adjustment scores (Hoteling�s T, p<0.05)

12. Results of the �Before and After� Experiment Res 1: Improvement in literacy in general � especially �comprehension� skills. Res 2: However, no improvement in number work � as gauged by �arithmetical� skills. Res 3: Improvement in social adjustment � i.e., in �behaviours� as assessed by teachers. Beyond demonstrating improvements as a consequence of chess coaching, the study was concerned to understand the processes involved.

13. The �In Between� Ethnography Data were triangulated from multiple sources that included: a field diary; photography; in-depth interviews with chess coaches, parents and teaching staff; a questionnaire completed by 10 parents; and, joint interviews with the 18 children in receipt of chess coaching conducted during the final term of 2004.

14. Key Finding In-school chess coaching generated new chess playing families and children were the agent of this change: �Play chess with my dad and my brother and I am in the middle of trying to learn my mum. My cousin J is a chess player and D, his brother��

15. Key Finding The chess after school club became a starting point for joining new networks, especially for those children involved in tournament play locally, regionally and abroad. �It is difficult to quantify the long - term benefits for the children, most of whom had never travelled by rail or air before.� (Chess Coach)

16. Key Finding The home became an educational resource in the form of a chess set, books and PC chess software � developing self-regulated learning in the form of voluntary study: �Well when I was in Perth with Mr L (Chess Coach) there was a book that I bought and it says, How to Learn Check Mates. There was another one and it showed lots of brilliant moves and that. It was on sale for about �1 and that. I bought that book and I was playing all the moves. I do it on my chess board, so that whenever I play people who are hard, I just look at it.�

17. Key Finding The informal coaching relationship and a co-operative and structured setting assisted some children who had exhibited social and emotional difficulties in the classroom: �One of the things I came across, just talking to the children was�it was a very non�Mschool thing, you know. It was something from somewhere else clever people with glasses did; and it was all those funny folk � it was all this kind of thing� being clever. And I think they were quite amazed, some of them, they could do it. There was that sort of thing, of being successful at it. Something that was really difficult�� (Class Teacher)

18. Report to SEED Scottish Executive Research: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/20801 (March 31, 2005) Chess Development in Aberdeen�s Primary Schools: a Study of Literacy and Social Capital Dod Forrest, Iain Davidson, Janet Shucksmith and Tony Glendinning