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Awe is a profound, self‐transcendent emotion. To illuminate its origin, four preregistered studies examined how U.S. 4‐ to 9‐year‐old children perceive awe‐inspiring stimuli (N = 444, 55% female, 58% White, tested in 2020–2023). Awe‐inspiring expansive nature (Study 1) and natural disaster scenes (Study 2) evoked perceived vastness, motivation to explore, and awareness of the unknown more than everyday scenes did (d ranging 0.32–1.76). Compared to expansive social stimuli, expansive nature stimuli more positively affected children's sense of self (Study 3). Diverse awe‐inspiring scenes (vast nature, natural disasters, and slow‐motion objects) all elicited awe and higher learning motivation than everyday scenes did (Study 4). These findings suggest that children appreciate awe‐inspiring visual experiences, illuminating the origins and nature of awe as a self‐transcendent experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Costly rituals are ubiquitous and adaptive. Yet, little is known about how children develop to acquire them. The current study examined children's imitation of costly rituals. Ninety‐three 4–6 year olds (47 girls, 45% Oceanians, tested in 2022) were shown how to place tokens into a tube to earn stickers, using either a ritualistic or non‐ritualistic costly action sequence. Children shown the ritualistic actions imitated faithfully at the expense of gaining stickers; conversely, those shown the non‐ritualistic actions ignored them and obtained maximum reward. This highlights how preschool children are adept at and motivated to learn rituals, despite significant material cost. This study provides insights into the early development of cultural learning and the adaptive value of rituals in group cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work suggests that the stereotype associating brilliance with men may underpin women's underrepresentation in prestigious careers, yet little is known about its development and consequences in non‐Western contexts. The present research examined the onset of this stereotype and its relation to children's motivation in 5‐ to 7‐year‐old Korean children (N = 272, 50% girls, tested 2021 to 2022). At age 7, children attributed brilliance to men when evaluating Asians and Whites, and girls became less interested in participating in intellectually challenging tasks than boys. Notably, this gender difference in interest was mediated by children's endorsement of the stereotype. The generalizable early emergence of the gender brilliance stereotype and its detrimental implications press the need to tackle gender imbalance in early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is widely recommended for teachers to provide positive feedback to foster the development and maintenance of children’s motivation and perseverance. However, not all positive feedback has positive consequences and an important differentiation can be made between positive person-oriented feedback (i.e. ‘you are very talented’) and process-oriented feedback (i.e. ‘you showed great perseverance’). Specific evidence- and theory-based recommendations regarding the impact of different types of positive feedback will benefit children’s experiences in physical education and sports. Purpose: The present study addressed this topic by carrying out an experimental study on the provision of different types of positive feedback on children’s perseverance following failure experience in motor tasks. Since it has been suggested that children’s ability as well as their degree of insecurity or self-esteem may affect how they respond to different types of feedback, we also consider the role of individual differences between children. Specifically, it was examined whether the impact of the different types of feedback depends on children’s actual and perceived motor competence and narcissism levels. Methods: A sample of 176 Flemish children (44.3% boys, 9–13 years) received either person-oriented, process-oriented or neutral positive feedback after a set of easy motor tasks in which they succeeded. Next, children engaged in motor tasks that were too difficult for their age so that they had a failure experiences after which they received negative feedback. Children’s perseverance following failure was measured by monitoring at which difficulty level and how long they kept on practicing. Prior to the experiment, children’s level of actual and perceived motor competence and narcissism was measured. Results: Children who received process-oriented positive feedback chose more difficult exercises than children in the neutral positive feedback condition. Children in the process-oriented feedback condition also persisted longer than children in the person-oriented positive feedback and control condition. These effects were independent of both children’s level of actual and perceived motor competence and narcissism. Conclusion: This study shows that not all forms of positive feedback are equally effective to increase perseverance. The results highlight the importance of offering process-oriented rather than person-oriented positive feedback to increase children’s perseverance when facing difficult tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a new child‐centred methodology that explores children's visions of their futures, encourages self‐reflection and depth and shares children's voices with peers and researchers, as unbrokered as possible. This final stage of a longitudinal, arts‐based, social science‐informed project was delivered by partnering with schools in socially disadvantaged areas of Bristol, a UK city. Our two‐phase activity used a Tree metaphor to explore children's hopes, ambitions and support, looking forward to recovery from the COVID‐19 pandemic. The analysis combined multi‐disciplinary thematic and visual‐narrative analysis, and revealed diversity, intersection and individuality in themes that scaled out from the child and their family over different timescales. Themes included emotion (concerns; empathy), experiences (happenings, resources skills; aspirations) and relationships, linked to their recent experiences of COVID‐19 mitigation. The paper reflects critically on children's and researchers' positionality, and the complexities involved in developing research methods that encourage children's autonomy, agency and authenticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study (three waves across a school year) investigated the links between children's motivations to respond without prejudice and their ethnic outgroup attitudes at the between-person level (means and changes over time) and the within-person level (time-specific fluctuations). Participants were 945 ethnic majority students (MageW1 = 9.86 years, SD = 1.21; 471 girls) from 51 grade 3–6 classrooms in the Netherlands. Children reported (increasingly) more positive outgroup attitudes when their internal motivation was structurally high (between-person effects) and temporarily high (within-person effect), and less positive attitudes when their external motivation was structurally and temporarily high. The between-person effects were independent of the ethnic composition and the antiprejudice climate of the classroom. These findings may help in developing interventions aimed at reducing prejudice in late childhood. Public Significance Statement: The present study showed that children's temporal and structural motivations to respond without prejudice are relevant for their attitudes toward ethnic others. Children are and become more positive toward other-ethnic peers if they find this personally relevant and attractive, but not if they want to act nonprejudiced to avoid social disapproval. These findings are important for attempts to reduce children's prejudice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical literacy (PL) is highlighted as a construct that can positively impact physical activity (PA). Measurement methods and definitions for PL exist, but vary between research groups. This variation affects the ability to compare research findings. The purpose of this study was to assess the construct validity of PL in children. PL was operationalised according to Whitehead's (2001) definition, comprising confidence, motivation, physical competence, and knowledge and understanding. Participants (n = 1073; mean age 10.86 ± 1.20 years: 53% male) were measured on: (i) confidence (Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Scale; Bartholomew et al., 2006), (ii) motivation (Behavioural Regulation in Exercise-Adapted; Sebire et al., 2013), (iii) physical competence (health-related fitness: 20 m shuttle run, back-saver sit-and-reach, handgrip strength, plank); balance (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2; Bruininks, 2005); object-control and locomotor skills (Test of Gross Motor Development-3rd edition (TGMD-3); Ulrich, 2016); and (iv) knowledge and understanding (PA and sedentary guidelines). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to analyse the factor structure of PL. The best-fitting model (χ2 = 209.8, df = 99, p < 0.001; comparative fit index = 0.95, normed fit index = 0.91, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.93, root mean square error of approximation = 0.032, 95% confidence interval: 0.026–0.038) was a three-component model containing the domains of motivation, confidence, and physical competence. The knowledge and understanding domain did not fit the model well. Factor loadings were highest for confidence and motivation. Findings support the adoption of a pragmatic approach to PL measurement. CFA results indicated a similar factor structure as has been identified in other studies which have used different tools to measure PL domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wait times are significant in child mental health services but may offer opportunity to promote growth mindsets in young people with physical and mental health needs. A digital growth mindset single-session intervention is effective in young people, but its use in paediatric settings has not been examined. This mixed methods pilot aimed to assess the intervention's feasibility, acceptability, and impact in this population. Method: Patients aged 8–18 on waiting lists in a paediatric hospital's specialist mental health service were offered the intervention remotely. Treatment completion and retention rates, symptoms of depression and anxiety, perceived control, and personality mindset were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-ups. Semi-structured interviews to explore the intervention's acceptability were conducted post-treatment. Results: Twenty-five patients completed the intervention and 17 patients and three carers/parents were interviewed. Outcomes showed small to large improvements across time-points. Most patients reported finding the intervention enjoyable, accessible, and instilled a hope for change. They valued elements of the intervention but made suggestions for improvement. Conclusions: The digital growth mindset single-session intervention is feasible, acceptable, and potentially beneficial for young people with physical and mental health needs on waiting lists. Further research is warranted to examine its effectiveness and mechanism of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the effects of Spherical Video-Based Virtual Reality (SVVR) and Conventional Video (CV) on students' writing achievement and motivation. A quasi-experimental method was used in a primary school's Chinese Descriptive Article Writing courses. Twenty-eight fourth-grade students were randomly divided into two groups. In the SVVR group, students observed the writing scenes using SVVR devices. In the CV group, students watched the writing scenes through conventional video. SPSS software was used for the statistical analysis of the data. The results show that: (1) there is no significant difference (U = 714, p = .061) in the overall writing achievement between SVVR and CV groups. However, students in the SVVR group performed significantly better in Organization (U=693, p = .029) and Content (U = 609, p = .003) than those in the CV group. (2) Overall writing motivation improved in both SVVR and CV groups. The improvement of writing expectations in the CV group was significantly higher than that of the SVVR group (t =22.119, p = .044). Therefore, we suggest that schools: (1) design the integration method of SVVR and writing learning to solve the problem of the gap between students' immersive situational experience and completing their writing goals. (2) use the immersive and interactive features of SVVR technology to create virtual experience scenes to improve students' observation and description abilities. (3) add activity clues to guide students to experience SVVR scenes purposefully and plan and transform situational interest into learning ability. (4) further optimize SVVR devices to improve their usability during learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "11 for Health in Denmark" in‐school educational football program has shown to have numerous positive physiological and psychological effects in 10‐ to 12‐year‐old schoolchildren. A key part of the successful application of the program, however, has not yet been examined, namely the motivational processes underlying participation and behavioral changes. This study examined such motivational processes (i.e., autonomous motivation, beliefs, and intentions) using the trans‐contextual model (TCM) and investigated if the 11 for Health in Denmark program increased intentions to participate in physical activity (PA) outside of school in 10‐ to 12‐year‐old schoolchildren. Using a web‐based questionnaire, Danish‐speaking schoolchildren (N = 276 [boys, 50.4%]; Mage = 10.44, SD = 0.35) from three schools and seven classes completed TCM‐based questionnaires at three time‐points (weeks 0, 1, and 5) while participating in the 11 for Health in Denmark program. Single‐indicator structural equation modeling was performed to examine goodness‐of‐fit and parameter estimates. A path analysis using maximum likelihood estimation was used to test the direct and indirect effects of the TCM model. The results partly supported a mediation sequence, as we found significant direct effects in eight of 13 motivational variables (β = −0.25–0.83, p < 0.05), indirect effects in one of nine variables (β = 0.15, p < 0.01), but no effects with regard to PA behavior. Findings provide evidence for a motivational link between Danish‐speaking schoolchildren's autonomous and controlled motivation from in school to out of school, and may inform future interventions promoting motivation and participation in out of school PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's participation refers to involvement in interaction with others together with attendance in family and community activities. There is an urgent need to develop actions that promote participation of children with disabilities, but there is still limited understanding of processes that may enable it. This study focuses on how the participants (five parents, two teachers, three therapists) enhance participation of Finnish children with neurological disabilities at school, home, and in the therapy and how participants develop multifunctional collaboration to promote participation. Participants were interviewed five times in group interviews for one year. The data were analysed with a qualitative grounded theory approach. Three central factors enhancing participation were found: factors preparing and building participation and factors promoting participation in action. A participatory multifunctional collaboration model enhancing participation showed that collaboration is built up through a childcentred approach by sharing information and know-how and by transcending adults' prejudices and fears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present study was to explore Primary Education students' views on their involvement in a three pedagogical models' hybridization (Health-Based Physical Education, Cooperative Learning and Sport Education) based on their common features, links and frameworks (e.g. the influence of the models in the students' basic psychological needs or motivation), as well as their limitations. A total of 115 year-5 and year-6 students (46.09% girls; aged 10–13 years), enrolled in one school in central Spain, agreed to participate. They all experienced the same 'Edu-CrossFit' learning unit (13 lessons, 45 min/each). One teacher-researcher, with more than six years of previous experience on pedagogical models, implemented the learning unit. The study followed a qualitative methodology, and four group interviews (one from each participating class) were conducted at the end of the intervention programme. From the students' responses, and to facilitate the understanding and soundness of the data analysed, four main themes emerged: (a) 'Am I allowed to behave autonomously?': students' views on how to deal with it'; (b) Students' views on cooperating and relating with partners; (c) Students' feelings on their competence and motivation; and (d) 'Not only movers, but informed and habitual movers': building students' active identities. In conclusion, the participating students acknowledged that they had learned to become more autonomous, competent and motivated, to build new relationships and to develop an active identity. A longer-term unit would allow the teacher to know students better and to ensure the consolidation of students' learnings. Therefore, despite some limitations, this hybridization can contribute to shaping habitual, motivated, critical and informed movers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The most common substance use disorders in childhood and adolescence have to do with alcohol and cannabis. These disorders begin as early as puberty, are often accompanied by other mental disorders, and, if untreated, very frequently persist into adulthood. Methods: This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective search in PubMed on substance use disorders in children and adolescents. Results: Substance use disorders are among the commonest mental disorders in childhood and adolescence. In Germany, approximately 10% of adolescents have tried cannabis at least once. The prognosis is negatively affected by individual (bio-)psychological traits, mental comorbidities, laws that facilitate consumption, socioeconomic disadvantage, consuming peers, and parental substance use disorders. A timely diagnosis, motivation by the pediatrician, and referral to specialized child and adolescent psychiatric services helps assure that those affected receive appropriate treatment, with the goal of abstinence from the substance as well as improvement in emotional regulation, affectivity, and attention. According to studies from the English-speaking countries and considering all treatment forms, treatment is completed by approximately 60% to 65% of children and adolescents; 20% to 40% of these patients are abstinent six months after the end of treatment. No studies of this type have been carried out to date in Germany. Conclusion: As the results of treatment are generally poor, there is a major need for research on the treatment and care of children and adolescents with substance use disorders. In particular, the interfaces between outpatient and inpatient care need further improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fear appeals are discourses commonly used by teachers to motivate students especially when academic outcomes are paramount. Fear appeals have been associated with better and worse academic performance by the student recipients, with some evidence that fear appeals are detrimental for students who are anxious and have lower self‐efficacy. Little is known about the factors that drive teachers' use of fear appeals beyond a desire to increase motivation to excel. Aims: This study examined the relationship between the use of fear appeals, psychological distress, and self‐efficacy in both teachers and students. Sample: Participants were 377 students (81% female, age range 15 to 18, M = 16.68, SD = 0.49) and 96 teachers (73% female, Mean years teaching = 18.04, SD = 12.39). Methods: Participants completed surveys mid‐way through the first school term of their final year of high school. Student surveys examined student anxiety, depression, stress, self‐efficacy, and experience of teacher fear appeals. Teacher surveys examined teacher anxiety, depression, stress, emotional burnout, self‐efficacy, years of teaching, and use of fear appeals. Results: Teachers use of fear appeals was associated with student distress which was heightened for students with lower academic self‐efficacy. Similarly, teachers' use of fear appeals was associated with higher anxiety and lower self‐efficacy in teachers themselves. Conclusions: Therefore, the use and consequence of fear appeals is strongly linked to both student and teacher self‐efficacy and distress. Given the detrimental impacts of fear appeals on academic performance in vulnerable students, more research is needed on the consequences of fear appeals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the validity of a multi-dimensional measure of motives for writing. Based on an earlier instrument and theoretical conceptualisations of writing beliefs, we developed the Writing Motivation Questionnaire (WMQ). A sample of 2,186 fourth- (558 girls; 521 boys) and fifth-grade students (546 girls; 561 boys) completed 28 writing motivation items assessing seven motives for writing. Two of these motives addressed intrinsic reasons for writing (curiosity, involvement); three motives assessed extrinsic reasons (grades, competition, and social recognition); and two motives examined self-regulatory reasons (emotional regulation, relief from boredom). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesised structure of the WMQ, and each of the seven motives evidenced adequate reliability for research purposes. Measurement invariance was established for grades four and five students, girls and boys, White and non-White students, children receiving or not receiving free/reduced lunch, and students receiving or not receiving special education services. The WMQ predicted students' writing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to test the effect of the augmented reality‐based program on the motivation, attention and conceptual skills of preschool children. The research was conducted according to the pretest‐posttest control group quasi‐experimental design: 13 participants (6 girls, 7 boys) in the experimental group and 13 (5 girls, 8 boys) in the control group, a total of 26 children (4–5 age group) were included in the study. While the children in the experimental group participated in the applications prepared with augmented reality, the children in the control group were practised upon with the traditional teaching method. In the research, measurement tools were applied to the working groups (experiment‐control) both before and after the application. As a result, it was determined that the motivation, attention and concept skills of the children in the experimental group increased significantly compared to the children in the control group. The results show that augmented reality applications can be used in learning activities in preschool education. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicAugmented reality applications can be adapted for preschool children.Augmented reality applications are new in pre‐school education.Augmented reality applications are interesting for preschool children.What this paper addsAugmented reality applications improve the motivational skills of preschool children.Augmented reality applications improve the attention skills of preschool children.Augmented reality applications improve the concept skills of preschool children.Implications for practice and/or policyTechnology‐based classroom environments should be created in pre‐school education institutions.Augmented reality applications in pre‐school education should be expanded in line with the gains.Teachers should receive training on augmented reality applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study examined whether groups of children with different physical fitness and fitness enjoyment profiles could be identified and, if so, whether the different groups varied from one another in terms of organized sports participation. Method: Five hundred and fifty-eight 8–11-year-olds (56.99% boys) participated in this cross-sectional study. Physical fitness and fitness enjoyment were assessed with seven items from a standardized test battery and a pictorial scale containing pictures referring to the enjoyment in those seven physical fitness tests, respectively. To examine whether groups with different fitness and enjoyment profiles could be identified, we conducted cluster analyses based on children's standardized physical fitness and fitness enjoyment scores. A two-way ANCOVA (sex*cluster) was conducted to investigate differences in weekly organized sports participation among each of the identified groups while controlling for age. Results: Cluster analyses revealed two groups with aligned levels of physical fitness and fitness enjoyment (i.e., relatively low-low and relatively high-high) and two groups with unaligned levels (i.e., relatively low-moderate and relatively high-moderate), respectively. Both groups with relatively high fitness scores were found to spend significantly more time in organized sports (M = 2.01 h and 2.29 h, respectively) than the two groups with relatively low fitness scores (M = 1.08 h and 0.98 h, respectively), irrespective of their enjoyment levels. Conclusion: Increasing physical fitness levels (especially among those children with suboptimal enjoyment levels) may lead to increased organized sports participation, while increased organized sports participation in its turn may lead to higher fitness levels. As such, participation in sports programs should be promoted in children of all age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children learn best when they are inherently motivated to pursue new knowledge and skills; ownership and opportunity for initiative provide that inherent motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether the Internet of Toys (IoToys) (de)limits children's make‐believe play and whether the functionality and manipulatives offered by the IoToys serve as motivational pleasure (tactile, virtual and visual) for children to engage in make‐believe play. Combining Piagetian and Vygotskian ideas of play as a unity of cognition and social context, we consider IoToys as a motivational conduit for children's symbolic actions that leads to make‐believe play. Qualitative methodology was employed using observations of young children at home when interacting with IoToys (total n = 10 families) from England (n = 5 families) and Australia (n = 5 families). Data showed that children's interaction does not limit the development of their make‐believe play as they engage in imitation schemata and create imaginative situations within and beyond the intended pre‐programmed functions of the IoToy. To conclude, it is argued that instead of differentiating virtual and physical play, we should (re)think play with multimodal playscape lenses. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Children from a very young age engage with mainly touch screen technology and this engagement has led to the discourse of digital play inquiries.When children use technology, they create imaginary situations that leads to make‐believe play.What this paper adds Research on the haptic technologies is still in an embryonic stage. Thus, this paper aims to examine how children engage with this new developing technology in home‐based settings.The findings of our research suggest that when haptic technological tools are used by children, this leads to make‐believe play using physical and virtual spaces as a continuum of child's learning and development.Implications for practice and/or policy As children's interactions with haptic technologies showed that they exhibit motivated actions and psychologically triggered interactions, this calls for parent‐educator partnerships to foster a pedagogy that embeds a poly‐pronged approach (digital, virtual, visual, physical) which enhances children's multimodal playscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although children enact third-party punishment, at least in response to harm and fairness violations, much remains unknown about this behavior. We investigated the tendency to make the punishment fit the crime in terms of moral domain; developmental patterns across moral domains; the effects of audience and descriptive norm violations; and enjoyment of inflicting punishment. We tested 5- to 11-year-olds in the United Kingdom (N = 152 across two experiments, 55 girls and 97 boys, predominantly White and middle-class). Children acted as referees in a computer game featuring teams of players: As these players violated fairness or loyalty norms, children were offered the opportunity to punish them. We measured the type (fining or banning) and severity of punishment children chose and their enjoyment in doing so. Children only partially made the punishment fit the crime: They showed no systematic punishment choice preference for disloyal players, but tended to fine rather than ban players allocating resources unfairly-a result best explained by equalization concerns. Children's punishment severity was not affected by audience presence or perpetrators' descriptive norm violations, but was negatively predicted by age (unless punishment could be used as an equalization tool). Most children did not enjoy punishing, and those who believed they allocated real punishment reported no enjoyment more often than children who believed they pretended to punish. Contrary to predictions, retribution was not a plausible motive for the observed punishment behavior. Children are likely to have punished for deterrence reasons or because they felt they ought to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the national and state prevalence of being "Healthy and Ready to Learn" (HRL) and associated sociodemographic, health, family and neighborhood factors. Cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a nationally representative parent-reported survey administered by web and paper June 2016 to February 2017. Four domains were constructed from 18 items through confirmatory factor analyses: "Early Learning Skills", "Social-Emotional Development", "Self-Regulation", and "Physical Well-being and Motor Development." Each item and domain were scored according to age-specific standards as "On-Track", "Needs Support", and "At Risk" with overall HRL defined as "On-Track" in all domains for 7565 randomly selected children ages 3 to 5 years. In 2016, 42.2% of children ages 3 to 5 years were considered HRL with the proportion considered "On-Track" ranging from 58.4% for Early Learning Skills to 85.5% for Physical Well-being and Motor Development"; approximately 80% of children were considered "On-Track" in Social-Emotional Development and Self-Regulation, respectively. Sociodemographic differences were mostly non-significant in multivariable analyses. Health, family, and neighborhood factors (ie, special health care needs status/type, parental mental health, reading, singing and storytelling, screen time, adverse childhood experiences, and neighborhood amenities) were associated with HRL. HRL prevalence ranged from 25.5% (NV) to 58.7% (NY), but only 4 states were significantly different from the U.S. overall. Based on this pilot measure, only about 4 in 10 US children ages 3 to 5 years may be considered "Healthy and Ready to Learn." Improvement opportunities exist for multiple, modifiable factors to affect young children's readiness to start school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined an insufficiently studied predictor of functional language, social motivation, in a group of 87 young children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants (age 14–31 months at the start of the study) were assessed at four times over 24 months. We tested total and indirect associations between early social motivation and later expressive language to understand the behavioral mechanisms by which social motivation might affect functional language development. Results from this study show that early social motivation predicts functional language 2 years later in young children with autism spectrum disorder. In addition, this positive longitudinal association is serially mediated by intentional communication and then receptive language. These findings are consistent with the elicited bootstrapping hypothesis which proposes that children with relatively stronger social motivation produce more intentional communication. This, in turn, elicits others' linguistic input which impels receptive language development. This process eventually results in relatively increased expressive language development. About one-third of children with autism spectrum disorder never develop the language that they need in different day-to-day situations. Identifying potential factors that can predict later language development is crucial to understanding why some children with autism spectrum disorder successfully develop language while others do not. This study sought to investigate one of the understudied predictors of language development, social motivation, and to test theories for why this association may occur. Testing the theories requires that we measure children's ability to deliberately and directly communicate with others (i.e. intentional communication) and children's language understanding between the measures of social motivation and later expressive language. We tested 87 children with autism spectrum disorder, aged 14–31 months, at four times over 24 months. We found that children with relatively stronger social motivation had relatively better language use 2 years later. This positive link was partly due to a child's ability to produce intentional communication and to understand language. Although we did not measure parents' talking to their children, a theory that inspired this study suggests that children who use frequent intentional communication probably motivate others to talk with them frequently, which facilitates children's language understanding which leads to the development of expressive language. This theory, if confirmed to be true, can provide guidance for parents who want to help their children learn to talk. Parents could look for intentional communication from their children and respond by talking to their children. Effective intervention on both parent and child targets will likely enhance treatment efficacy. Future work is needed to test these ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From preschool age, humans tend to imitate causally irrelevant actions—they over‐imitate. This study investigated whether children over‐imitate even when they know a more efficient task solution and whether they imitate irrelevant actions equally from a human compared to a robot model. Five‐to‐six‐year‐olds (N = 107) watched either a robot or human retrieve a reward from a puzzle box. First a model demonstrated an inefficient (Trial 1), then an efficient (Trial 2), then again the inefficient strategy (Trial 3). Subsequent to each demonstration, children copied whichever strategy had been demonstrated regardless of whether the model was a human or a robot. Results indicate that over‐imitation can be socially motivated, and that humanoid robots and humans are equally likely to elicit this behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been associated with increased risk for parenting difficulties; however, cognitive factors related to parenting, such as parenting perceptions and beliefs regarding children's development, remain unexplored. This is problematic as negative and unrealistic beliefs regarding parenthood and children may be a key mechanism by which PTSS increases vulnerability for adverse parenting outcomes. The aims of the study were to examine whether PTSS and the specific posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters were related to more negative parenting perceptions and to more unrealistic beliefs regarding children's development among 212 trauma-exposed parents (Mage = 36.68 SD = 7.38; 60.9% female; 54.3% White). Higher levels of PTSS corresponded with more negative parenting perceptions and more unrealistic expectations of children. Intrusion, avoidance, and negative alterations in cognitions and mood were not associated with parenting perceptions. Trauma-related alterations in arousal and reactivity were related to more negative parenting-related beliefs regarding one's child and oneself. PTSS, particularly trauma-related changes in arousal and reactivity symptoms, may be relevant in understanding perceptions of parenthood and beliefs regarding children's development. These symptoms may be targeted via trauma-focused treatments to increase adaptive parenting outcomes for parents who have experienced trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has found that children incrementally learn how to cope with advertising as they age. The current research investigates whether these developmental constraints in advertising knowledge at time of exposure have enduring consequences. Results from four experimental studies show that childhood exposure to advertisements can lead to resilient biased product evaluations that persist into adulthood. Study 1 demonstrates that positive affect toward ad-related stimuli encountered in childhood mediates the relationship between childhood advertising exposure and biased evaluations for products associated with childhood (but not adulthood) advertising. Study 2 demonstrates stronger biases when participants are exposed to childhood advertising cues relative to childhood consumption cues. Studies 3 and 4 show that even when ability and motivation to correct bias are high, lingering positive affect toward childhood ad-related stimuli is a motivational deterrent to correct biased product evaluations. Study 4 also shows that biased product evaluations can transfer to line extensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Careful research that elucidates how behavior relates to design in the context of elementary school grounds can serve to guide cost-efficient design with the goal of encouraging physical activity (PA). This work explores patterns in children's PA behavior within playground spaces with the specific goal of guiding healthy playground design. Methods: Data on children's utilization and PA behavior in 6 playgrounds divided into 106 observation zones were collected in 2005 and 2006 at Denver elementary school playgrounds using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth. Analyses of variance and t tests determined whether there were differences in utilization and behavior patterns across observations zones and between genders. Results: This study provides evidence that children prefer to use certain types of playground zones and that they are more likely to practice moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in some zones. The authors observed statistically significant differences between genders. Boys were more likely to engage in MVPA in zones without equipment, girls were more likely to use zones with equipment. Conclusions: This work suggests that the inclusion or omission of specific playground features may have an impact on the way that children use the spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on the physical activity motivation among youth and how research progressed since 1989. The author says that children participate and discontinue their sport for several reasons including skills improvement, friendship, and injuries. She mentions four major advances that help elevate the understanding of youth motivation and physical activity including the shift from descriptive to theory-driven studies.

Since the 1960s, self-esteem has become a cornerstone of Western child-rearing. After reviewing a large body of rigorous longitudinal research, Orth and Robins (2022) conclude that self-esteem brings modest but significant benefits across all ages. However, the authors did not intend to suggest strategies for raising children’s self-esteem. The aim of my commentary is to identify such strategies. Without guidance on how to raise children’s self-esteem safely and sustainably, well-intentioned strategies, such as inflated praise, may inadvertently undermine self-esteem or even breed narcissism. Instead, interventions should be based on a theoretically informed and empirically supported understanding of the determinants of self-esteem. By targeting these determinants, interventions may be able to raise children’s self-esteem safely (i.e., without breeding narcissism) and sustainably (i.e., leading to lasting improvements in self-esteem and its presumed outcomes). Evaluating these interventions through randomized controlled trials will help build a theory of when and why self-esteem interventions work. Ultimately, this work will provide nuanced and dependable guidance to parents, teachers, and professionals on how to raise children’s self-esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Girls are less physically active than boys, yet no single study has examined the factors that may explain gender differences in children's physical activity (PA). Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of data from 116 caregivers and their children aged 5-8 years who participated in the MOVE study. Caregivers reported various factors that may relate to children's PA (eg, encouragement for child PA and PA equipment at home). Child PA was measured by 7-day accelerometry. Linear regression tested for the variance in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) explained by gender and several variables. Gender and ethnicity interactions were examined. Results: Caregivers were mostly female (97%), mean age 38 ± 6 years, mean BMI 28 ± 6 (kg/m2). Child's mean age was 8.1 ± 0.7, 54% were female and 40% were overweight/obese. Girls were less physically active than boys (54.1 ± 19.7 vs. 65.2 ± 28.0 daily minutes of MVPA, respectively). Among girls, more days of PE/week was associated with greater MVPA. Among boys, greater parent support for PA, greater parent modeling for PA, and greater number of PA equipment in the home were associated with greater MVPA. Conclusions: This study supports that boys and girls have different correlates for MVPA, which may partly explain gender differences in PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We applied the trans‐contextual model (TCM) to examine the effects of middle school students' perceived autonomy support from their physical education (PE) teachers on autonomous motivation toward PE in school and, critically, autonomous motivation toward, and actual participation in, leisure‐time physical activity (PA). The research adopted a three‐wave prospective design enabling the modeling of change in the TCM constructs over time. Middle school students (N = 248) aged from 12 to 16 years reported their perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation in PE, autonomous motivation toward leisure‐time PA, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), intentions for PA in leisure‐time, and leisure‐time PA participation. The psychological constructs and leisure‐time PA were measured at baseline (T0) and at a first follow‐up occasion (T1) 5 weeks later. Another measure of PA was taken at a second follow‐up occasion (T2) a further 5 weeks later. A single‐indicator structural equation model using residualized change scores revealed that perceived autonomy support predicted autonomous motivation in PE (β =.345), and autonomous motivation in PE predicted autonomous motivation for leisure‐time PA (β =.484). Autonomous motivation toward leisure‐time PA predicted attitudes (β =.425), subjective norms (β =.264), and PBC (β =.517). Autonomous motivation toward leisure‐time PA (β =.376), attitude (β =.231), and subjective norms (β =.185) predicted intentions toward leisure‐time PA, and intentions predicted PA (β =.198). Findings extend research on the TCM by demonstrating its efficacy in predicting change in middle school students' autonomous motivation across PE and leisure‐time contexts, and accounting for change in intentions toward, and actual participation in, leisure‐time PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on interviews with 45 children, this article looks at the life situations and aspirations of working children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, including their hopes, efforts and struggles to make their dreams come true. Pushed by the need for survival, the children work and nearly half go to school. They demonstrate agency, taking care of themselves, supporting families and aspiring to change their lives. However, they also face challenges that make achieving their aspirations difficult. The authors argue that agency alone is not sufficient to help them realise their aspirations unless buffered by supportive structures and systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study children's learning of the concept, stability, during some building activities were investigated. It was also examined how a story can create meaning, having the children build for some animals in the story. Two preschool teachers and 10 children participated. Data consisted of video-recordings from activities with the children and was analysed through thematic coding. The findings showed that the children enjoyed to build and showed an understanding of how to build stable constructions, however without using the word stable. There were connections to the story and new stories were also made by the children during building activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a conceptual framework to understand the Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA) through the perspective of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The Nurtured Heart Approach and the Self-Determination Theory are discussed and the parallels are drawn between the two, to provide a theoretical foundation to NHA and support for its effectiveness, which is otherwise lacking. The NHA, developed to help parents manage the undesirable behaviors of children, does not have a foundation of any particular theory. The approach is backed by anecdotal reports rather than empirical findings. Self-Determination Theory is a broad theory of motivation that proposes that human beings have three basic psychological needs-the need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. The main techniques of NHA fit well with the elements which support the satisfaction of these basic psychological needs. The paper provides a theoretical framework to NHA by highlighting how it brings about sustainable behavioral change and self-regulation by fulfilling the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs as proposed by SDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Motivation is closely related to creating an active attitude and ensures more active involvement of pupils in the learning process, where it increases the security of the individual's vital involvement in general physical education activities. This requires the teacher to look for more innovative methods to ensure that students are actively involved in the learning organization process. The purpose of this paper review is to analyze literature in the field of teaching psychology as well as from the field of teaching, with a spectrum related to their motives, attitudes and connections with teacher strategies, to provide an analysis with conclusions on the most appropriate ways which would help improve the active involvement of pupils in physical education. Methodology: In order to fulfill this review are using methods of literature analysis, and is made combination and comparison of data from various works and projects of authors varied. To successfully realize this review paper we studied and analyzed the contemporary scientific literature provided by various Internet-based research sectors such as: "Jab Ref" "Pub Med" "Google Scholar" "Medline" "Sports Discuss" and "Research Gate". The methods used are: literature analysis, physical activity statistics, conclusions and recommendations. Conclusions and recommendations: all the literature used can be clearly seen the importance of understanding motivation, and the factors on which it depends on the teacher. The purpose of physical education, ie the concept of physical education class has changed radically in all developed countries. Modern physical education should aim at strengthening personal traits, in preparing for an active lifestyle not only at school, but throughout life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storytelling has been proved to have numerous benefits to education; some of the most crucial are: the stimulation of reflective thinking, facilitation of group cohesion, influence on the direction of learning, the linking to the empowerment of studentsetc (Flanagan 2015).Digital storytelling (DS) is not a new idea as its roots lie in the Digital Storytelling movement in the 1980s whose cofounders created the Center for Digital Storytelling that provided training and assistance to people interested in creating and sharing their personal narratives (Robin 2008). DS has been used widely in all levels of formal education (Blas, Garzotto, Paolini, & Sabiescu 2009), of adult education (Flanagan 2015) but also in a great variety of lessons such as mathematics and geometry (Yuksel-Arslan, Yildirim & Ross 2016). Needless to say, that digital storytelling has also been used to teach values in special education (Skouge & Rao 2009) and also to highlight media literacy in preschool education (Blas & Boretti 2009). Research has found that digital storytelling has substantial educational benefits for preschoolers such as the fostering of the ability to narrate, to work as a group, to increase the sense of self responsibility and meta-cognition of preschoolers' own performance (Blas & Boretti 2009,49). Moreover, it has also proved to be an alternative problem-based learning tool for enhancing young children's motivation; an impetus for change in teachers' practices; and last but not least a challenging task for preschoolers (Yuksel-Arslan, Yildirim & Ross 2016). Within this context, the aim of this study is to achieve greater comprehension of how digital storytelling, within preschool education, can contribute to enhance the media learning experience of preschoolers. DS is actually a basic function of every traditional or new medium. The combination of DS with media education will most probably prove to be a successful experiment. The research questions that the field study will focus on are the following two: Why digital storytelling is suitable for preschool media education? How can we enrich media education with teaching media ethics through DS? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors detail how 2,000 teachers facilitating summer camps for 8,000 students across a state for three years engaged families in authentic literacy practices. Building relationships, considering families' needs and strengths, and providing authentic learning experiences linked with literacy led to positive changes in family engagement and literacy motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is increasing recognition of the contribution of affective factors such as motivation to the development of reading competence. Reading activity is theorised to mediate associations between motivation and achievement, but this has been tested empirically only rarely. Method: This study employed structural equation modelling to test a hypothesised model of relations between the reading self‐concept, intrinsic motivation, activity and achievement of a sample of 4,067 grade 6 students in Ireland and to explore whether the relations were moderated by gender or socioeconomic status (SES). Results: Intrinsic motivation and self‐concept were significantly associated with reading activity, which, in turn, significantly predicted reading achievement. Girls had higher intrinsic motivation and reading activity than boys, but there was no gender difference in reading self‐concept. High‐SES students had higher reading self‐concept, intrinsic motivation and activity than low‐SES and medium‐SES students. The strength of the associations among the constructs under study did not vary by gender or SES. Conclusions: Findings suggest that efforts aimed at increasing students' intrinsic reading motivation may lead to increased reading activity and reading competence, irrespective of gender or SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors explain their research on children's motivations to participate in physical activity and the influence of perceived motor competence on participation. They refer to self-determination theory, which explains personal motivation based on competence, autonomy, and relatedness. They explain that children form perceptions of competence in certain domains, including sports, by approximately age five and that children also place value on activities by that age. They also relate social cognitive theory to the acquisition and maintenance of behavioral patterns, such as physical activity. They note that the study is based on U.S. schoolchildren, explain their data collection and analysis and the study results, and present a qualitative assessment of motives for engagement.

The article presents the conference program for the June 7-9, 2007 conference on sport and exercise psychology in San Diego, California. The preconference symposium is titled "Reflecting on the Contributions of Richard A. Schmidt to Motor Control and Learning Research." Presentations at the conference include "Transitions to motherhood and its effect on physical activity," by Carolyn McIntyre and Ryan Rhodes, "The role of athlete leadership in dyadic team sports," by Diana Vincer and colleagues, and "Motivation in physical education and physical activity behavior outside of school," by Anne Cox, Lavon Williams, and Alan Smith.

• Book-gifting programmes alone show no evidence in improving educational outcomes for children in care. • There is reason to believe that book-gifting programmes supplemented by an increased role for foster carers in reading with children in foster care might prove more effective. • The Reading Together programme, which combines book-gifting and an enhanced role for foster carers, showed no evidence of improving outcomes. • Aside from the impact of the Covid pandemic, issues of programme targeting, recruitment and fidelity are possible confounding factors. There now exists a considerable body of international evidence demonstrating the consistently poor educational outcomes faced by children in care. These effects emerge early and worsen as children grow older and last longer term into adulthood. One popular intervention aimed at addressing this has been the use of book-gifting. However, there is limited evidence that this, on its own, is effective in improving reading outcomes for children in care. Moreover, previous research suggests the need for book-gifting programmes to be enhanced through including a direct role for foster carers to support their children's reading when receiving the books. This article reports the main findings of a three-armed randomised controlled trial conducted in the UK across 22 local authorities and involving 266 children, that sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced book-gifting intervention, supplemented by a paired-reading component for foster carers to undertake with their children, known as Reading Together. The effects of the Reading Together intervention were measured on one primary outcome, children's levels of reading comprehension, and also included a number of secondary outcomes (reading accuracy, reading rate, receptive reading and attitudes towards reading). The trial found no evidence of the effectiveness of the programme, which is attributed to both the possible ineffectiveness of the programme itself and/or the confounding effects of Covid-19 national lockdowns and other restrictions that impacted on foster families during the period of the trial. However, the trial raises a number of important issues which are drawn out and discussed including: which children in foster care a programme like this should be targeted at; how to better ensure fidelity through an enhanced peer foster carer support role; the involvement of schools in interventions like this; and the need for more attention to be paid to the nature and quality of the carer/child relationship. Implications for future research are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses the motivation on the interest of children in value of physical activity to enhance the physical attributions. Types of motivation; Samples of inappropriate practices and conditions; Details on the motivational strategies.