‘Chess’ as a School Subject. First Results from a Longitudinal Study in Germany (SCHACHZUG)

Author(s):

Tobias C. Stubbe(presenting / submitting)Anke Walzebug

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

09. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement

Format:

Paper

Session Information

09 SES 08 B, Longitudinal Assessments of Student Achievement and Attitudes

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-20

09:00-10:30

Room:

FCT - Aula 15

Chair:

Kajsa Yang Hansen

Contribution

An increasing number of schools in Germany currently implements Chess as a compulsory subject. Some of these schools substitute one regular Mathematics lesson (one hour) per week by one lesson of Chess instruction (Schach statt Mathe). Others add Chess as a subject to the curriculum in mutual agreement with the students’ parents and/or the School Supervisory Board.

Reports on teachers’ experiences as well as first scientific studies (Bönsch-Kauke, 2008) indicate that playing chess has a positive influence on attentiveness, attention span, academic achievement (e.g., in mathematics but remarkably also in reading and speech comprehension) and social behavior of children (Schneider, Gruber, Gold & Opwis, 1993). While the question of a possible transfer from playing chess to other cognitive and mental abilities is subject to controversial discussions (cf. Saariluoma, 2001; Scholz et al., 2008), findings of positive effects of Chess instruction outweigh and motivate schools to implement Chess in their curriculum. In particular, students with learning disabilities profit from Chess lessons as a valuable learning aid (Scholz et al., 2008).

Further research is still necessary in order to identify skills and competencies which can be improved by playing chess, especially in the case of underachieving students (Hong & Bart, 2007). For this reason the project SCHACHZUG was launched which realizes different qualitative and quantitative studies to analyze relevant outcome variables (cognitive abilities, motivational aspects etc.) of Chess as a compulsory subject in German schools.

Method

The analyses to be presented are based on data from a longitudinal pilot study within the project SCHACHZUG which is carried out at three primary schools (3rd grade) and two secondary schools (5th grade) in different federal states in Germany. In the two secondary schools and in one of the primary schools only some classes have Chess as a subject. Beside the classes with Chess instruction (treatment group) we evaluate the corresponding classes in these schools where Chess is not taught (control group). In one primary school all classes have Chess as a subject. Therefore, a school nearby has been selected as control group. The following information has been surveyed at three measurement points at intervals of about six month: (1) mathematics achievement using released items from TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, http://www.timss.org/); (2) attention span using the d2 Test of Attention (Brickenkamp, 1975); (3) social competence using an instrument from TIMSS 2007 Germany (Bos, Bonsen, Kummer, Lintorf & Frey, 2009); (4) some background information (gender, immigrant background, socioeconomic status); (5) attitudes towards chess and (in the treatment group) towards the Chess lessons.

Expected Outcomes

Analyses of the cross sectional data from the first measurement point indicate a very positive attitude towards chess in general and toward Chess as a compulsory school subject. These results have already been reported to the participating schools. In addition to the cross-sectional findings, we also present first results from the longitudinal part of this study. The development of the mathematics achievement, the attention span and the social competence of the students in both groups will be compared. We expect to find positive effects of Chess as a compulsory subject.

References

Bönsch-Kauke, M. (2008). Klüger durch Schach. Wissenschaftliche Forschungen zu den Werten des Schachspiels. St. Goar: Leibnitz Verlag. Bos, W., Bonsen, M., Kummer, N., Lintorf, K. & Frey K. (2009). TIMSS 2007. Dokumentation der Erhebungsinstrumente zur Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Münster: Waxmann. Brickenkamp, R. (1975). Test d2. Aufmerksamkeits-Belastungs-Test. Handanweisung. Durchführung, Auswertung, Interpretation. Göttingen: Hogrefe. Hong, S. & Bart, W.M. (2007). Cognitive effects of chess instruction on students at risk for academic failure. International Journal of Special Education, 22, 89–96. Saariluoma, P. (2001). Chess and content-oriented psychology of thinking. Psicológica, 22, 143–164. Scholz, M., Niesch, H., Steffen, O., Ernst, B., Loeffler, M., Witruk, E. & Schwarz, H. (2008). Impact of chess training on mathematics performance and concentration ability of children with learning disabilities. International Journal of Special Education, 23 (3), 138–148. Schneider, W., Gruber, H., Gold, A. & Opwis, K. (1993). Chess expertise and memory for chess positions in children and adults. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 56, 328–349.

Author Information

Tobias C. Stubbe (presenting / submitting)

Institute for School Development Research

Dortmund

Anke Walzebug