Cognitive Correlates of Academic Achievement in Primary School Children

All the newly industrialized economics with dramatic growth in the past forty years achieved universal or all most universal primary enrolment by 1965. The influence of primary school on the adoption of modern practices was greater than that of other factors, such as, home environment, urbanization, etc. With the populations growing faster than primary school enrolment, many countries will have to make a vigorous efforts to reduce illiteracy over the next ten or fifteen years. To overcome the short comings, the first priority of primary education should be to increase children’s learning in school so that most of students master the curriculum and complete the primary cycle. Since achieving well-defined standards of learning by children in schools is a powerful indicator of success of the system that works, the National Policy of Education (N.P.E.), 1986 emphasized the need for laying down minimum levels of learning for each stage of school education as a prerequisite for setting performance goals. The basic considerations, according to Dave (1991), that should be kept in view in this context is the cognitive abilities of the children at different classes or grades corresponding to different stages of development. Virtually all mass education systems have been established with the aim of producing minimal levels of competence in the general population. Primary education usually takes the charge of developing such skills among the population of the country. The book has its main features in the competency based primary education and its conceptualization. The book describes in details the essential cognitive abilities and their impact on the academic achievement of primary school children in specific subjects of curriculum such as mathematics and language. Empirical evidences have been organized coherently and discussions made with due care and importance. The practices and actions required for achieving universal elementary education have been logistically presented. The book is likely to create interest among practitioners, policy makers and scholars in the field of education.