Research Resources
The Research section is designed to provide useful information for both the newcomer to and the experienced user of Professor Reuven Feuerstein’s Structural Cognitive Modifiability theory and accompanying Mediated Learning Experience methodologies.
No research should exist in a vacuum. Therefore, as part of the ongoing research efforts of those engaged in Feuerstein programs, we recognize the need for a platform for the exchange of information, particularly among all NAFA members, regarding evaluation initiatives being applied with their FIE programs.
In addition to the information accessible by clicking on the sub-menus for this Research tab, the NAFA Research Committee has also compiled the following so that we can continue to see evidence of the positive effects of FIE:
The Research Documents section is designed to provide information on empirical reports regarding FIE implementation initiatives. It is not meant to be a comprehensive source; rather, the listings in this part offer only selected research and evaluation articles that have been published recently and some reports that are not recent but are most frequently referenced.
The NAFA research committee is compiling and periodically revising a list of Research Questions and areas of research proposed as subjects for future study. These are areas of research about which there exist little or no published reports. Included also is a list of the measures that have been used in research and evaluation studies for consideration in future research. (As to be expected, this information is under continuous update.)
In the Brain Research section, we provide information about research findings that connect internal structural brain changes with the types of mediated learning activities that we advocate. We recognize the particular importance of this information to FIE practitioners as it provide evidence that supports Feuerstein’s theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability.
As a community of professionals with common interests and a passion for continuing to better understand our individual practice of FIE, we often ask new questions, seek and generate new evaluation strategies, and come up with new conclusions. The NAFA Members Blog for Special Interest Groups provides a platform for such exchange of information. We encourage members to join this blog by engaging in asynchronous conversations, sharing ideas, collaborating in new initiatives, and reporting on outcomes that otherwise may never be published – and never be known to others.
The NAFA Research Committee hopes that this information will be helpful to all who are interested in Instrumental Enrichment. Please contact David Martin, Chair of the Research Committee, for additional information or suggestions: davidchina_2000@yahoo.com.