Sub-cultural differences in cognitive development among elementary students in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

There is need to conduct more Piagetian research in the Caribbean in order to develop a basis for a culturally appropriate curriculum. This article analyses the performance of primary school students in Trinidad and Tobago on a single class task. The sample comprised 6,686 students, representing 3 percent of the primary school population, randomly selected from the various school types, localities, and cultural, social, and racial backgrounds. Five areas were investigated: gender, age, school administration, school type, and socio-economic level. The results showed that: 1) females tended to achieve a higher concept developmental level than males, 2) the majority of students did not conform to the Piagetian age:stage relationship, 3) children at private schools tended to achieve better than those at denominational and government schools, 4) males and females in all-male and all-female schools tended to achieve better than males and females in co-educational schools, and 5) children of university graduates achieved better than those whose parents had received only or less than elementary education