Cognitive consequences of contrasting pedagogies: the effects of Quranic preschooling in Morocco.

A study was conducted in Morocco to assess the cognitive consequences of Quranic preschooling. 350 6-7-year-old children were selected in a way which allowed contrasts in terms of preschool experience (none vs. Quranic vs. modern), environment (urban vs. rural), maternal language (Arabic vs. Berber), and gender. 6 different memory tests were employed, as well as other cognitive, reading, and math tests. Results indicated specific and positive effects of Quranic schooling on serial memory but not on other memory or cognitive tasks. These findings replicate earlier reports by Scribner and Cole that Quranic schooling affects specific (and not general) memory skills. The reading measures indicated superior performance among those children with urban background, Arabic maternal language, and, to a lesser extent, Quranic schooling. It was concluded that the corpus of research from this and similar studies supports a "practice theory" of culture and cognition.