Dimming down: How the brainpower of today's 14-year-olds has slipped 'radically'

[n2doc]

By LAURA CLARK
Last updated at 11:44 PM on 26th October 2008


Bright teenagers are a disappearing breed, an alarming new study has revealed.

The intellectual ability of the country's cleverest youngsters has declined radically, almost certainly due to the rise of TV and computer games and over-testing in schools.

The 'high-level thinking' skills of 14-year-olds are now on a par with those of 12-year-olds in 1976.

The findings contradict national results which have shown a growth in top grades in SATs at 14, GCSEs and A-levels.

But Michael Shayer, the professor of applied psychology who led the study, believes that is the result of exam standards 'edging down'.

His team of researchers at London's King's College tested 800 13 and 14-year-olds and compared the results with a similar exercise in 1976.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1080791/Dimming-How-brainpower-todays-14-year-olds-slipped-radically-just-generation.html

[ColbertWatcher]

1. You should put a note in your subject line about how that's UK kids, not American kids. n/t

[datasuspect]

10. UK kids get better educations than Uhhhmerican kids

[JCMach1]

11. Poppycock-- The British Curriculum is not perfect either

My girls have been in both types of schools... In fact, I plan to switch them back to the American system for High School to avoid the A-level O-level BS.



I also call bullshit on the article overall. Every generation there is some alarmist report that decries how bad the current generation is...

Remember "Why Johnny Can't Read" in 1955

Remember "Why Johnny Still Can't Read" in 1981

Culture and society change quickly... education is always trying to catch-up.

[datasuspect]

13. our kidz is smart!

[JCMach1]

14. Sir, do you have an anti-child agenda

:sarcasm:

[GTurck]

19. It may be...

worse here. Television is only part of the problem. Teaching to the test to reach some sort of "horse race" goal is also a big part. One cause,though,that doesn't get talked about is the incredible shielding our children get nowadays from the adult world. Not the sexual. That world we only complain about even as we allow it to influence so much of our own thinking. No! I am talking about the world of mature understanding that comes from ideas and principles formed by themselves by observing what adults are doing. Think of the ubiquity of the Disney Channel/Disney World and teen-agers as role models;not adults as role models. Our kids cannot form complex ideas because they never confront complex issues. They don't read very complex books - with the possible exception of Harry Potter - or listen to complex music or learn how to create and appreciate creativity in others. In short they are growing up well-trained but not educated.

[girl gone mad]

2. My son is way smarter than I was..

at 14, and I was in TAG programs.

He spends far too much time playing video games, too.

I can't remember what I wasted my time doing at his age. Probably sitting in my room listening to music and playing the guitar.

[Thor_MN]

7. The results of these types of studies can not be extended to individuals

They are not talking about any particular 14 year old, they are talking about all 14 year olds. I was 14 in 1976, but this study doesn't say anything about my intelligence - just that average person my age scored better on that test than 14 year olds today. The overlap between the two groups is far larger than difference, meaning that trying to compare any 2 individuals is meaningless.

Probably won't keep me from sending this to my 14 year old neice though...

[Forkboy]

3. As we all know, there were no stupid kids before tv and video games appeared.

[MonteLukast]

4. So many smart kids are being flagged as possible ASD cases...

... and to be labeled "socially incompetent" is such a career and social death sentence today, that parents don't want their kids to be geniuses anymore (though they do want them to be "special", which is a somewhat different animal). And kids have never wanted to be smart if it means they don't fit in with their peer group. So it was probably only a matter of time before the combined forces worked to actually diminish brainpower?

[MonteLukast]

5. Also, those dratted TESTS...

Inspectors said teachers were increasingly drilling pupils to pass exams instead of encouraging them to understand crucial concepts.

When did this shift occur? Was there a change in the Ministry of Education to a more NCLB-like approach, recently or not-so-recently? Maybe during Thatcher's tenure? (it would fit, though it would also fit a misguided and overly ambitious Tony Blair)

[earthlover]

8. America's public schools are now almost exclusively teaching for standardized tests

Big problem for upper level thinking....it isn't the type of thinking measured by ABCD multiple choice tests....and it is largely being IGNORED in many schools, who don't have time for it because they have so much worthless rote memory stuff to cram into the students for their SOL tests, so they can promptly forget most of it the day after.

It has created a culture of "minimum competency" rather than growth and learning

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. Tests at 7, 11 and 14 introduced in 1991 under Major (Tory successor to Thatcher)

kept on, enthusiastically, under Blair and Brown, until this year - when a fiasco in the privatised marking of the tests has made them say they'll scrap the tests at 14 (this is for England, where I presume the study was done)

TESTS IN ENGLAND
Age 5: teacher assessment of children's all-round development
Age 7: national tests in English and maths marked in school by teachers
Age 11: national tests in English, maths and science marked externally and school's results published nationally
Age 14: there will cease to be national tests in English, maths and science, marked externally

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7669254.stm

Note that in 1976, as at present, there are national exams at age 16 and 18 ('O' levels and 'CSE' in 1976, and 'GCSE' now, at 16, and 'A' level at 18 in both years - these are the "how well did you do at school?" qualifications you'd be asked for a job, or entrance to university).

History of the tests:

Autumn 1989: Dubbed "the most controversial of education reforms", the national curriculum is implemented in all state primary and secondary schools in England and Wales. Key stages are established for testing at the ages of seven, 11, 14, and 16.

April 1991: The first round of the new nationwide Sats (Standard Attainment Tests) is labelled "unfair and unworkable" by many primary school teachers. A threatened boycott is narrowly avoided after a National Union of Teachers (NUT) ballot votes against such action.
...
1997: The new Labour government comes to power, placing education at the head of its priorities. Secretary of state for education, David Blunkett, sets new targets for Sats scores, expecting 80% of 11-year-old children to achieve level four in their English tests by 2002. They introduce a new literacy and numeracy hour to focus how pupils are taught. Test results in English and numeracy start to show improvement on the previous year's results.
...
July 2004: Sats tests for 11 and 14-year-olds are scrapped in Wales, widening the gap between the testing regime in schools in England and the lighter approach in the rest of the UK. Pupils in Wales will sit a new skills test at age 10, backed up by teacher assessments. In Scotland teachers test children individually when they consider them ready. The government says that schools in England would continue to be required to test regularly, reiterating its view that Sats are necessary to drive up standards.
...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2004/aug/24/schools.sats

[LeftyMom]

6. Video games only have a negative impact in that they displace other activities.

Played in moderation, many of them can have a significant positive impact on reaction time, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and problem solving, among other useful capabilities.

The key is moderation and variety. If you read some good books books, watch a little (hopefully educational) TV if you like, have a nice conversation, play outside for a bit, and work your video game time into a well-rounded day, that's a lot different from parking in front of your computer/console system for the majority of your free time.

And I'm not saying that because I'm some rabid video game addict. As a matter of fact I'm dreadful at anything more complicated than Pong.

[datasuspect]

9. the United States of Uhhhmerica

"don't worry 'scro, now there's plenty of 'tards out there living really kick ass lives." -Dr. Lexus

[ColoradoMagician]

12. Total b.s.

Adults of all generations always complain about the stupidity of their kid's genertion. This is the same reason that most young people are voting for Obama. He doesn't count them out.

I hear this same crap all of the time.

Today's kids blow us away in skills that we don't have. Just because you can't see a value in the activities that contemporary kids involve themselves in, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. There were all kinds of complaints about kids spending all their time at computers and video games when I was a kid, now that I am getting close to middle age, I see that those kids grew up and created the wonderful technologies we enjoy today. Most especially posting on this website, which didn't exist when I was a kid.

I hope Obama changes the public discussion to raising kids up, rather than beating them down with this kind of message.

[JCMach1]

15. No, his solution is merit pay for teachers...

He really shouldn't let his economics people craft the centerpieces of his education policy.

However, he couldn't be any worse than the 'education' president.


However, you are completely right about the cross-generational bashing of education.

[datasuspect]

16. i know, my 12 year old nephew can text like a motherfucker

lolz bff, OMG!!!!

[MiniMe]

17. This sort of reminds me of the toys of the 60's thread that was going on yesterday,

not moved to the lounge.

The comment I made in that thread was that we used to be able to go out and play and explore on our own, without parental supervision. Today's kids seem to under a super regimented routine. They play soccor, take karate, etc, all supervised activities and all organized. I think the lack of freedom over your schedule takes away some individual curiosity. I played with some things that would never be sold today, they would be too "dangerous". Protecting kids from everything is not good imho. Of course you want to make your kids as safe as possible, but kids need to learn from their mistakes, and find out the results of an experiment. I had rules, staying in a specific area, and when to come home, but not much beyond that.

Of course, this is a different time, but I think in many ways, kids need more freedom.

Blast away, I'm sure it's coming.

[AngryAmish]

18. Flynn effect, Flynn effect, Flynn effect...

[Bigmack]

20. "Idiocracy"... comedy or documentary? nt

[snake in the grass]

22. Prophecy.

[LisaLynne]

24. That's the movie I'm popping in Halloween night.

:scared:

[asteroid2003QQ47]

21. It's worse in the U.S. but on the bright side...

Professor Shayer warns 'that without the development of higher-order thinking skills, the future supply of scientists will be compromised.'
"We don't even have enough scientists now," he said.

Less scientists (inherently deficient in people skills) in positions affecting the lives of others won't be all bad!

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"It would be a contradiction in terms if the oppressors not only defended but actually implemented a liberating education."
--Paulo Freire

[Romulox]

25. "Everybody's a winner!" nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. Note the Mail only reports the bad results; in rapid thinking, results were improved

Professor Michael Shayer of King's College London looked at how 800 secondary pupils performed in problem-solving tests.

He said his findings reflected that pupils now lived in an environment favouring instant responses.
...
Professor Shayer says that the tests studied two levels of knowledge - one which required quick, descriptive responses - and in such questions today's 14-year-olds were better than their predecessors who had taken the same tests in 1976.

However, when it came to a higher level of understanding, researchers found that today's pupils were much less successful than in the 1970s.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7692843.stm

But his point is that, for long term success, it's the analytical skills which are more important.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. I'm glad to see...

the dipshits who whine about "kids these days" haven't changed any bit compared to the dipshits who've whined about "kids these days" going back for thousands of years.