Children's mediational teaching style and cognitive modifiability: A comparison between first and third graders in Holland and Israel

This article reports the results of a replication study aimed at exploring the feasibility of cross-cultural implementation of Peer Mediation with Young Children (PMYC), a novel cognitive intervention program originally developed for Israeli children. The main objectives of the PMYC program are to improve mediating children's teaching style, develop learning skills and increase cognitive modifiability of both mediators and learners. The effect of the program on Dutch children's cognitive modifiability as measured in the replication was compared with previous findings on Israeli children. Despite the small sample, the findings from the Dutch pilot indicated that the PMYC program may be a promising peer-assisted learning method to be used beyond the confines of Israel. The replication study also shed light on the technical constraints that impede transfer of the program to another culture. Implications for the program's cross-cultural applications are likewise discussed.