DOCUMENT RESUME CE 079 843 ED 439 240 Investigation of Deficits in Higher Level Executive TITLE Functioning as a Prerequisite for Adult Basic Education Intervention. Final Report, Fiscal Year 1998-99. Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit, Edinboro, PA. INSTITUTION Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education, Harrisburg. Bureau of SPONS AGENCY Adult Basic and Literacy Education.; Department of Education, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 35p. CONTRACT 98-99-9017 PUB TYPE Evaluative (142) Reports MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Adult Basic Education; *Dropout Prevention; Educational DESCRIPTORS Research; *Evaluation Methods; High School Equivalency Programs; Intention; Intervention; Interviews; Learning Processes; Learning Strategies; Metacognition; Prognostic Tests; Self Control; Self Evaluation (Individuals); Self Motivation; *Student Motivation; Thinking Skills IDENTIFIERS *Executive Function (Cognition) ABSTRACT Although the emphasis elsewhere is on learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder as possible causal factors for high dropout rates and associated student deficiencies in adult education (AE), a project explored an alternative etiology: intention deficit disorder. The hypothesis was that higher level "executive" regulatory skills are deficient in a subgroup of the AE population, making them poor prospects for benefiting from academic instruction if underlying regulatory functions were not addressed. Project activities included studying the topic of executive functioning and attempting to establish relationships to the activities carried out in adult literacy programs; evaluating instruments purported to test "executive functioning"; testing five students; evaluating these instruments' usefulness in planning for AE student programs; and providing two regional workshops dealing with this topic and self-regulatory abilities as prerequisites for instructional success. Findings were that the executive function hypothesis is an alternative way of viewing the apparent lack of intention or motivation of many AE students; available assessment instruments are designed to evaluate neuropsychological patients and are insulting to AE clients; and a preferred approach is a structured interview format. (Appendixes include the presentation, "Learning Deficit, Attention Deficit, or Intention Deficit Disorder"; executive functioning questionnaires; and proposed interview protocol.) (YLB) POOR PRINT QUALITY Pgs 2 7 Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. FINAL REPORT Investigation of Deficits in Higher Level Executive Functioning as a Prerequisite for Adult Basic Education Intervention Mr. Edward C. McAtee Director: Adult Education Program Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Fiscal Year: 1998-99 nit Northwest Tri-County Intermediate U 252 Waterford Street Edinboro, PA 16412 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUC TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION (814) 734-5610 (east 230) CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Project Number 98-99-9017 Points of view or opinions stated in this $5000.00 document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. The activity which is the subject of this report was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Education. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and no official endorsement by these agencies should be inferred. BESTCOPYAVAILABLE 2 Table of Contents Abstract page 1 Introduction page 2 The Problem page 4 The Objectives page 5 Conclusions & Recommendations page 8 Appendices ABSTRACT Grant Recipient: Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Mr. Edward McAtee, Project Director Waterford Street 252 Edinboro, PA 16412 Program Name: Investigation of Deficits in Higher Level Executive Functioning as a Prerequisite for Effective Adult Basic Education Intervention. Grant Allocation: $5,000.00 Project Period: July 1, 1998-June 30, 1999. Project Director: Mr. Edward McAtee Project Coordinator: Dr. Michael Bozman Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Waterford Street 252 Edinboro, Pa 16412 Project Purpose: This project proposed to: 1. Review the neuropsychological literature regarding the 'executive function' hypothesis. Choose and purchase instruments designed to 2. assess executive functioning in adults. 3. Evaluate a sample of adult education clients with these instruments. 4. Analyze these instruments and the resulting data in terms of their utility in planning effective interventions/educational programs. Make recommendations regarding the usefulness of the 'executive function 5. hypothesis' in guiding interventions with adult education clients. Project Outcomes: The project yielded the following outcomes: 1. The executive function hypothesis' is an alternative way of viewing the apparent lack of `intention' or motivation on the part of many adult education students. The assessment instruments currently available in this 2. area are all designed to evaluate neuro- psychological patients and are symptom focused and thereby insulting to most adult education clients. 3. A preferred approach for gaining this type of information involves a structured interview format used by adult education staff after some rapport has been obtained. Impact: This project is reinforcing to the notion that carefully gathered information about each adult education client is important to planning interventions with them but this assessment process should always treat them as a unique individual who is deserving of respect. Product or Training Developed: A structured interview format which is designed to assess adult education clients regarding their `executive functioning' was developed for trial use. Product Available From: Dr. Michael Bozman; I.U. Waterford St., Edinboro, PA 16412. #5, 252 Product Continuation: None. Conclusions/Recommendations: Executive functioning is a useful concept in understanding the apparent lack of motivation of many adult education students. It is less negatively value laden than words like 'unmotivated' or disinterested. The instruments currently available, however, are of little practical use in assessing adult students. In this researcher's view, traditional assessment interviews are more likely to yield this kind of information without being insulting to the clients. 1 INTRODUCTION The field of adult education is plagued by high drop out rates and a range of associated student deficiencies. With all of the emphasis on learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder as possible causal factors, this project explored an alternative etiology, Intention Deficit Disorder. The hypothesis of the grant centered on the assumption that higher level 'executive' regulatory skills are deficient in a sub group of the ABLE/GED population making these students poor prospects for benefiting from academic instruction if underlying regulatory functions were not addressed. In effect, for many students in ABE/GED classes the "cart is before the horse" in that academic skills are stressed while the student lacks the self regulatory skills (a combination of subtle but sophisticated neuropsychological behaviors) to benefit from traditional instruction. The objectives included: Studying the topic of executive functioning and attempting to establish relationships 1. to the activities carried out in adult literacy programs. Evaluating instruments purported to test 'executive functioning'. 2. Testing 5 students with instruments which were designed to assess this 'executive 3. functioning'. Evaluating these instruments usefulness in planning for adult education student's 4. programs. Providing two regional workshops dealing with this topic and self regulatory abilities 5. as prerequisites for instructional success. These activities were conducted during the period of July 1, 1998 to May 31, 1999. Due to Dr. Richard Gacka's resignation from the Intermediate Unit, Dr. Michael Bozman, also a licensed psychologist, reviewed the neuropsychological literature, oversaw the test purchases and conducted the project. This report would be most useful or interesting to adult education, administrators, teachers or intake staff. This report will be filed with the: Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education Programs Department of Education 333 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 AdvanceE Resource Center 333 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 5 2 Western Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Resource Center 5347 William Flynn Highway Gibsonia, PA 15044 Region One Staff Development Center Stairways, Inc. 2910 State Street Erie, PA 16508 6 3 THE PROBLEM The field of adult education is plagued by high drop out rates and a range of associated student deficiencies. With all of the emphasis on learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder as possible causal factors, this project explored an alternative etiology, Intention Deficit Disorder. The hypothesis of the grant centered on the assumption that higher level 'executive' regulatory skills are deficient in a sub group of the ABLE/GED population making these students poor prospects for benefiting from academic instruction if underlying regulatory functions were not addressed. In effect, for many students in ABE/GED classes the "cart is before the horse" in that academic skills are stressed while the student lacks the self regulatory skills (a combination of subtle but sophisticated neuropsychological behaviors) to benefit from traditional instruction. Higher level 'executive functions' include the "cognitive abilities of planning, organizing, sequencing and abstracting; and may be seen in dementia" (as defined by the American Psychiatric Dictionary, 7th edition, copyright 1994, American Psychiatric Press). Dr. Richard Gacka, author of this 353 grant application, closed a 1996 presentation at a COABE Conference with the following remarks: An argument can be made that all functioning (cognitive and effective) is neurological in nature and can trace its roots to electrical biochemical neurological event. Processes like "will", "want", "drive", "choice", etc., those things which we commonly consider to be simple concepts are complex neurological processes. A great deal of an individual's everyday functioning is monitored by an overriding "executive" or "managerial process, a process that controls what, and how much, behavior is displayed. Much of the difficulty we see in adult clients can be traced to deficits at this executive or managerial level-deficits which may well be neuro-affective events which we commonly call "will", "intention", "want", "desire", or "drive". Much of the inappropriate, ineffective, or dysfunctional learning and behavior that we observe in adult education can be traced to deficits at this higher order cognitive level. 7 4 THE OBJECTIVES 1. Clearly many of the dysfunctional behaviors displayed by many adult education students that represent poor motivation for academic learning or a failure to plan for their future employment, could be described as 'executive functioning' difficulties. This is simply a less value laden description of their unproductive behavior. It is also, however, a more medical or 'pathological' view as well. The author suggests that a more objective description of, these clients' differing values may in fact be more useful to planning their educational programs than for example suggesting that they "want" to fail. Dr Gacka's 1996 COABE Conference presentation, Learning Deficit, Attention Deficit, or Intention Deficit Disorder is included in Appendix A. 2. Virtually all of the literature regarding the concept of 'executive functioning' grew out of the field of neuropsychological care. Neither did this writer find any examples of executive functioning assessment instruments that met the test of the American Psychological Association in terms of reliability and validity. The two instruments proposed in the grant application and consequently purchased and used by the author are briefly described below. Cognitive Sypmtom Checklists (copyright 1993) Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. P.O. Box 998 Odessa, Florida 33556 1-800-331-TEST The Cognitive Symptom Checklists are a clinical tool designed to "assist in the identification and treatment of problems in five basic areas: attention/concentration, memory, visual processes, language and executive functions". The CSC is suggested by its as a "screening tool" authors for use by such professionals as neuropsychologists. It is not normed in any way. No reliability or validity data are provided in the manual. The client6 complete$ the checklists themselves. The `examiner' may be present to answer questions or read items or provide a follow up inquiry phase. Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) (copyright 1996) Thames Valley Test Company 7-9 The Green Flempton Bury St. Edmonds Suffolf IP286EL England Also carried by the Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR) vendor above. 8 5 The BADS contains six subtests designed and normed in England to assess executive dysfunctions. These are simplified neuropsychology tasks like the 'Rule Shift Cards Test'. In the authors opinion these tests would be of very limited value with typical adult education students. Since informed consent by the client sample was required to conduct this study the tests' names and purpose were disclosed. As a consequence, the sample of 5 students that were worked with in this project objected to the title right from the beginning. The package also includes the The Dysexecutive Questionnaire which is not normed, and includes a self report form and an independent rater's form. Samples of the above pertinent executive function questionnaires are included in appendix B. 3. Five student volunteers were selected from Intermediate Unit Adult Education Classes and `administered' the Cognitive Symptom Checklist executive function questionnaire and the The Dysexecutive Questionnaire. The obtained results were then shared and discussed with the program director and adult education teaching staff. The student's reluctance to participate and concern over individual item wordings was also considered. Together we concluded that these particular scales were not suitable for general use in planning for adult education clients. Many of the students did report, however, that when the teacher or a staff person took the time to get to know them in a relaxed and respectful way, that they appreciated it and were certain that it helped plan for them vocationally and educationally. 4. The author did present provisional findings from this study at the midwinter PAACE conference in February in Hershey, PA and at an Intermediate Unit wide end of year conference in Erie, PA (documentation included in appendix C). 5. The objective which was not achieved was that of developing a plan for using these particular scales of 'executive functioning' in planning a program of intervention with adult education students. Since these scales, and other scales that were reviewed that propose to assess this neuropsychological hypothetical construct, all treat these attributes as desirable traits and their absence in an individual as a deficiency, problem or pathological state. The author thus concluded in concert with the adult education professionals and the adult education students sampled that a more straightforward interview in a respectful context would be preferred. It is still possible, however, to structure this interview with a standard protocol of questions which yieldltinformation about this capacity or combination of attributes in typical adult education students. The proposed protocol and rapport building instructions can be found in Appendix D. Please keep in mind that this protocol remains to be proven useful to planning interventions for adult education clients. BEST COPY AVAILABLE 9 6 6. No formal evaluation instrument lent itself to capturing the degree of distaste students sampled the adult demonstrated toward these scales. Similarly, no the test makers information provided by suggested that the data obtained by the adult student's questions would be responses to the reliable or valid. The reader merely needs to examine in Appendix B the scale questions to understand the potentially insulting nature of the items/questions. 7. This report and preliminary findings were shared and shaped by the two above in number 4. This final presentations noted report, including the proposed interview the executive protocol for assessing functioning attribute in adult education clients, will be proper paper and electronic disseminated in all formats with the: Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education Programs Pennsylvania Department of Education 333 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 AdvanceE Resource Center 333 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 Western Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Resource Center 5347 William Flynn Highway Gibsonia, PA 15044 Region One Staff Development Center Stairways, Inc 2910 State Street Erie, PA 16508 10 7