Metamemorial knowledge in a group of black South African school children

Abstract

An interview study of metamemory based on that of Kreutzer, Leonard and Flavell (1975) was carried out on 94Zulu school children, with an age range of 6-13 years. It was hypothesized that the types of metamemorial knowledge found might be culture and/or schooling dependent. A general pattern was detected in the data of the children, namely, that in respect of knowledge of task and person memory variables, responses were mostly similar to those of the Kreutzer et al. 's American group, but in respect of knowledge of strategic variables, the Zulu children lagged behind the American sample. In particular, there were lags in the patterns of responding on the interview sections immediate-delay, story-list, study-plan, preparation: object, preparation: event, retrieval: object, retrieval: event, and rote-paraphrase. Possible cultural and educational reasons for these results are discussed in the light of other related research.'n Onderhoudstudie van meta-geheue wat gebaseer is op die studie van Kreutzer, Leonard en Flavell (1975), is op 94, ses tot dertienjarige, Zulusprekende kinders uitgevoer. 'n Hipotese is daargestel dat die verskillende tipes meta-geheuekennis wat gevind sou word, dalk afhanklik sou wees van kultuur-en/of skolasties faktore. In Aigemene patroon is in die data ontdek, naamlik dat met betrekking tot veranderlikes wat gekoppel is aan kennis van taak-en persoonsgeheue, die responspatrone oor die algemeen soortgelyk was aan die van die Kreutzer et al. se Amerikaanse groep. Daar is egter gevind dat die Zulusprekende kinders met betrekking tot kennis van strategiese veranderlikes, 'n agterstand getoon het in vergelyking met die Amerikaanse steekproef. Daar is veral agterstande in die responspatrone in die onderhoud afdelings: immediate-delay, story-list, study-plan, preparation:object, preparation: event, retrieval: object, retrieval: event en rote-paraphrase. Moontlike kulturele en opvoedkundige redes vir die uitslae word bespreek in die lig van ander verwante navorsing.