Psychoeducational assessment and pedagogical mediation: Experiences from Puerto Rico

Abstract

This essay focuses on the integration of psychoeducational evaluation and pedagogical mediation in the diagnosis and intervention of cognitive difficulties that impact learning processes. Its objective is to present and examine examples of such integration in studies carried out in a research program developed in Puerto Rico originated in the Study of Executive Functions and Language.  Both these studies and the present examination adopt the historical-cultural approach as a conceptual framework, in which the concepts of instrumental and semiotic mediation, social interaction and communication are central. It is proposed that pedagogical mediation is an effective strategy to promote cognitive modifiability. To support this proposition, theoretical arguments linked to the historical-cultural approach are presented, such as those offered in the PASS Intelligence Theory. Methodological tools such as the Cognitive Assessment System and PASS Reading Enhancement Program are also examined. It is proposed that these are cultural tools that allow us to confront the traditional vision of intelligence as an immutable property of the subject. From the examination of the results of investigations carried out with different populations and age groups, it is argued that the use of these tools in the practice of pedagogical mediation validates it as a strategy for cognitive education. It is concluded that pedagogical mediation fosters cognitive modifications that can positively impact academic performance and promote greater equity and fairness in the evaluation of intellectual functioning.