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Science education is essential for sustainability and prosperity. However, students from rural communities, arguably the future custodians of our environment and significant drivers of our economies, underperform in science education. In Australia, rural students generally lag behind metropolitan students in science achievement and engagement. However, this is not the case for all rural schools. This paper reports on one case study of a rural school performing much better than expected in senior science subjects. Counter to trends of lower expectations, limited resourcing and restricted pathways afflicting rural science education, this school maintained high expectations backed by proactive support, used local resources to offer rich science learning and creatively maintained a broad array of science learning pathways. Further, the school actively raised the profile of science, and built the capacity of their science teaching team. This case study demonstrates that rural schools, by capitalising on their local resources, relatively small size and strong community relationships, can succeed in science education. This case, along with similar cases, has implications for school leaders, teachers and policy makers seeking to improve rural science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a quasi-experimental study that evaluated the effectiveness of collaborative mind mapping in three Hong Kong primary schools. More than 200 grade 4 students, divided into three pedagogical groups, participated in a variety of science learning activities with the aid of a mind map and/or collaborative group work. The results of diagnostic tests reveal the synergy of peer collaboration and mind mapping to be more effective than either collaboration or mind mapping alone in enhancing students' scientific achievement. Analysis of the students' science discourse and follow-up interviews indicates that collaborative mind mapping fosters learning motivation and facilitates the joint construction of conceptual knowledge in science. Recommendations are made for the integrative use of graphic organisers and group work, and implications for future research on science teaching in Hong Kong and elsewhere are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher expectations not only relate positively to student achievement, but also to student beliefs such as their self-concept. Nevertheless, most studies focus on the relations with student achievement, followed by studies on beliefs. Beliefs are a significant determinant of academic success and can include student self-concept or emotions, such as anxiety. The extent to which anxiety can be influenced by teacher expectations has been investigated in very few studies. This paper examined how teacher expectations related to changes in student achievement, self-concept, and anxiety in mathematics within a school year. The data were from a longitudinal study "Outcomes of teacher education", funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and based on 28 teachers and 509 primary school students. Teacher expectations were operationalized using the residual approach. Student mathematics achievement was assessed via a standardized mathematics test and their self-concept as well as their mathematics anxiety via a questionnaire. The multi-level structure was considered in the analyses, because the interclass-correlation of student mathematics achievement exceeded the critical value of 10%. The results showed that teacher expectations were positively related to student achievement as well as self-concept and negatively related to anxiety towards mathematics. The change in the explained variance was small (self-concept and anxiety) to large (achievement). The results extend findings on the expectation effect in the classroom, as they focus not only on student achievement but also on student beliefs and are discussed regarding their significance for academic success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work builds on Cuban's (Educ Res 19(1):3-13, 1990) seminal work on reform waves. The research explores reform waves in Israeli educational policies since 2000s. The historical case study analysis focuses on conservative and liberal-progressive reforms in education, and reveals that these reforms took place as reoccurring alternating cycles, connected with political and institutional pressures that promote reform waves. The paper argues, however, that it is necessary to further develop Cuban's theory because it does not provide an explanation for the temporal frequency of reform waves. The paper suggests betwixt and between situations as factors pushing reform waves into hyperdrive. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of reform hyperwaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Student academic procrastination has been established as a strong predictor of several unfavorable consequences such as poor academic performance, low academic self-efficacy, and negative emotional experience. Increasing knowledge on what variables affect academic procrastination can assist nurturers and educators in minimizing student academic procrastination in the primary school setting. Based on the temporal decision model, this study examined the link between self-control and academic procrastination via the mediational role of task aversiveness and outcome value. The model was tested using structural equation modeling and cross-sectional data from 3028 primary school students (50.8% boys) in grades 3–6. The results showed a positive association between the impulse system and academic procrastination, and a negative association between the control system and academic procrastination among primary school students. Moreover, both task aversiveness and outcome value were found to mediate the link between self-control and academic procrastination among primary school students. These findings suggest that encouraging and guiding students to think more about the positive outcome and less about the negative engagement of tasks may be an effective strategy to reduce their academic procrastination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the level of gender-stereotyped beliefs about STEM-related school subjects among Croatian primary school students and to explore how stereotyped beliefs can be predicted from prior achievement in STEM school subjects and students' STEM interests. Eight hundred and eighty primary school students (442 girls and 438 boys) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire in their own classrooms (data used in the study are extracted from a larger STEM research project). The measures of interest in this study were stereotype endorsement, interest in STEM-related school subjects, and school marks in these subjects. Results suggest that regardless of prior school achievement, students who have stereotype-consistent interests in school subjects tend to show stronger stereotype endorsement than others. Male gender and prior achievement in STEM-related school subjects were also positively related to stereotype endorsement. These results are discussed in light of the existing literature and some practical implications are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. For many of these children and young people, caring has been shown to have a detrimental effect on their lives. For example, caring at a young age appears to be associated with poor health and well-being, bullying and poorer educational outcomes. However, previous research has tended to be retrospective, carried out using small surveys of secondary school-aged children or to use qualitative methods with young people associated with caring projects. In contrast, little is known about the extent and nature of caring undertaken by younger children. This paper reports findings from a random sample survey of 10 and 11 year old children in the final year of their primary school education. 4,192 children completed the Kids' Life and Times (KLT) online survey in 2011. Twelve percent of respondents to KLT said they helped look after someone in their household who was sick, elderly or disabled. Supporting previous qualitative research, this survey showed that children who were carers had poorer health and well-being, reported less happiness with their lives, were more likely to be bullied at school and had poorer educational aspirations and outcomes than their peers who were not carers. These findings suggest that teachers need to discuss the issue of caring with children in the classroom in a general and supportive way so that young carers feel able to confide in them and seek support if they need it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic skills are frequent concerns in K-12 schools that could benefit from the application of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Brief experimental analysis (BEA) of academic performance is perhaps the most promising approach to apply ABA to student learning. Although research has consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of academic interventions developed from BEA data, research on BEA is in its infancy. The current article suggests that BEA is consistent with the principles of ABA described by Baer et al. (J Appl Behav Anal 37:111–114, ) and describes the special series. The special series includes five studies and one commentary that further the evolution of BEA research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handwriting disorders (HD) are considered one of the major public health problems among school-aged children worldwide with significant interference on academic performances. The current study hypothesized that HD could be partly explained by a deficit in sensory feedback processing during handwriting. To explore this hypothesis, we have analyzed the effect of vision suppression on postural-gestural and on spatial/temporal/kinematic organization of drawing during an early pre-scriptural loop task with a digital pen, under two conditions: eyes open and eyes closed. Data collected from 35 children with HD were compared to data collected from typical children (typical group) from primary schools. The HD group showed significantly poorer postural control and an improvement on the spatial/temporal/kinematic organization of drawings when they closed their eyes compared to eyes opened. While in the typical group, postural-gestural organization became significantly more mature but there was no significant influence found on spatial/temporal/kinematic parameters of the loops. Thus, handwriting disorders could be explained by both proprioceptive/kinesthetic feedback disabilities and a disruptive effect of the visual control on the quality of the pre-scriptural drawings among these children who have kinesthetic memory and visuospatial disabilities. The ability of directing the strokes would remain dependent on sensory feedbacks, themselves insufficiently efficient, which would lead to difficulties in reaching a proactive control of handwriting. This current research is a liable contribution to enhance clinical practice, useful in clinical decision-making processes for handwriting disorders remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the source of the gender gap in third-grade numeracy and reading. We adopt an Oaxaca-Blinder approach and decompose the gender gap in educational achievement into endowment and response components. Our estimation relies on unusually rich panel data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children in which information on child development reported by parents and teachers is linked to each child's results on a national, standardized achievement test. We find that girls in low- and middle-socio-economic-status (SES) families have an advantage in reading, while boys in high-SES families have an advantage in numeracy. Girls score higher on their third-grade reading tests in large part because they were more ready for school at age 4 and had better teacher-assessed literacy skills in kindergarten. Boys' advantage in numeracy occurs because they achieve higher numeracy test scores than girls with the same education-related characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights patterns in school enrollment indicators that affect the efficiency and effectiveness of education systems in a set of low-income countries: those that have expanded access quickly in the last decade or two, but have not yet absorbed that expansion efficiently. Although the patterns in these indicators are observable in the first few years of schooling, they could constitute a cause of low learning outcomes at the end of primary school. The data show strong empirical relationships between an early primary enrollment bulge, low levels of pre-primary participation, and poor performance on early grade cognitive skills. This work does not attribute causal precedence to these patterns but instead argues that the indicators are reflections of each other, constituting a ''knot'' of issues undermining the foundations of the affected education systems. The article presents some of the cost implications and suggests that many countries are already paying for pre- primary education without realizing it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of grouping mathematics students by perceived levels of attainment, commonly referred to by teachers as ability grouping, is a contentious and long-standing topic of debate in education. Responses from a survey of 102 mathematics support teachers affirm the widespread use of ability grouping within New Zealand primary school mathematics classroom. This contrasts recent literature that suggest changes towards more flexible heterogeneous grouping practices aligned with collaborative problem-solving learning environments will better support equitable and productive learning opportunities. In this paper, we explore teachers' levels of satisfaction with current grouping practices, with a view to understanding the potential for changes. The mathematics support teachers indicate that postgraduate study, experimentation within their own classrooms, and success working with problem-solving group tasks with struggling students have all served to prompt their rethinking of grouping practices. However, responses also point to teachers' uncertainty around change, the desire for extended professional learning support and exemplars of alternative practices, and the importance of whole-school leadership within a change process. It is clear that multi-levels of influence will be needed to disrupt embedded practices of ability grouping that currently serve to exclude and marginalise groups of disadvantage groups of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have indicated, particularly in the European context, that students' mathematical successes on international tests of student achievement may not be attributable to the quality of classroom instruction, although, as is shown, this is unlikely to be the case in Flanders, the autonomous Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Flemish students' mathematics performance on such tests have placed them at the head of the European rankings, warranting Flanders as a site of research interest that has been largely ignored by the international community. In this paper, drawing on analyses of four sequences of five lessons, taught by teachers construed locally as competent, I explore the nature of Flemish mathematics teaching. Framed by anecdotal reports that it reflects the structuralism of the now largely abandoned Bourbakian new mathematics movement humanised by the Dutch tradition of realistic mathematics education, the analyses focus on examining not only the extent to which these traditions are manifested in Flemish classrooms but the ways in which they interact. The dominant tradition seems to be that of mathematical structuralism mediated by teachers' use of realistic problems; a tradition not unlikely to underpin Flemish students' repeated successes. The results are discussed in relation to research highlighting the significance on students' achievement of the broader cultural milieu in which they and their teachers operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies interested in understanding the role of parents in children's school adjustment have focused on mothers. Given the importance of father-child play during the preschool period, this study explores the possible links of father-child rough-and-tumble play and also father's involvement in child schooling with two dimensions of school adjustment: social adaptation and academic achievement. Observational data was collected from father-child rough-and-tumble play sessions filmed in family homes when children were average age of 4 years. Fathers completed the Family Involvement Questionnaire on parent involvement in child schooling, and teachers completed the Social Behaviour Questionnaire and the Teacher Report form to assess social adaptation, and the Teacher Rating Scale to assess academic achievement when children (40 boys; 32 girls) were average age of 8 years. Boys demonstrated more externalising behaviours at school when during rough-and-tumble play fathers let them direct the play. Boys were more prosocial at school when their fathers were more involved in school-based activities, while girls demonstrated more internalising behaviours at school when their fathers were less involved in home-based learning activities. Moreover, boys performed less well academically when fathers demonstrated more negative reactions than boys, the dyad demonstrated more upset terminations, and boys demonstrated more fear and less anger during rough-and-tumble play. Girls performed less well academically when during rough-and-tumble play fathers made more rules and fewer positive reactions towards them. Neither boys' nor girls' academic achievement was related to any type of fathers' school involvement. The study fills a gap in understanding the ways in which father involvement influences children's school adjustment according to the children's sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are associated with significant academic, behavioral, and relationship challenges in the school setting. Children with co-occurring DBDs and callous-unemotional (CU) traits show a distinct pattern of early starting, chronic, and aggressive disruptive behavior and are resistant to traditional DBD interventions. There is growing evidence that CU traits have important consequences for children's school functioning. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize research on CU traits in school with a focus on academics, relationships, and behavior. We searched PsycINFO, PubMed, and Education Full-Text to identify 37 empirical studies that met inclusionary criteria. Findings suggest that CU traits are associated with poor academic performance, high levels of aggression and conduct problems, and difficulty forming relationships at school, often above and beyond the impact of DBDs alone. Findings and future directions are discussed including how the current study can support key stakeholders in promoting the success of students with elevated CU traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study was to investigate primary school students' achievement in the domain of measurement. We analyzed a large-scale data set ( N = 6,638) from German third and fourth graders (8- to 10-year-olds). These data were collected in 2007 within the framework of the ESMaG (Evaluation of the Standards in Mathematics in Primary School) project carried out by the Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB) at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. The data were interpreted using a classification scheme based on a conceptual-procedural distinction in measurement competence. The analyses with this classification revealed that grade, gender, and in particular figural reasoning ability are significantly related to overall measurement competence as well as on the sub-competencies of Instrumental knowledge and Measurement sense. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings of this study for teaching and assessing measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reported two studies investigating high school students’ academic self-schemas in learning mathematics and their self-congruent learning engagement patterns. Using cluster analyses, Study 1 located two contrasting groups of students holding positive and negative self-schemas in learning mathematics among Chinese participants. MANOVA analyses showed that these two groups of Chinese schematic students differed from each other in the use of achievement goals, approaches to learning, and expected levels of performance. These findings were validated and extended in Study 2 using a culturally different sample, Australian students. Again, cluster analyses successfully classified Australian participants into positive and negative schematic clusters. It was also found that these two groups of schematic students approached learning mathematics in a self-congruent manner similar to those found in Study 1. The converging results in both studies lent empirical support to the theoretical formulation of positive and negative schematic students and the validity of using the self-schema concept to investigate motivation and learning. The differences in their learning engagement patterns were discussed in terms of students’ different academic self-schemas in learning mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety and depression symptoms may leave children at risk for lower academic scores, though this unique linkage to academic achievement in underserved youth is less well established. This study aimed to examine how anxiety and depression are uniquely related to spelling and math achievement beyond attention and hyperactivity deficits in children in underserved schools. Children aged 8 to 11 (n = 1085, 47.3% female) from historically underserved groups (Hispanic 75.3%, American Indian 6.4%, Black 4.9%, and White 1.5%) from 13 schools across two public school districts in California participated in the assessment of emotional and behavioral health symptoms that included a spelling and math assessment. While there was no relationship between anxiety or hyperactivity on spelling and math scores, depression and attention problems were significantly negatively related to spelling and math scores. However, when entered simultaneously, evidence of suppressor effects emerged. Anxiety and hyperactivity both became positively predictive of math. Similarly, anxiety became positively predictive of spelling. Subsample analyses showed that these suppressor effects were only in females. The associations among anxiety, depression, attention, and hyperactivity with spelling and math achievement are complex, and when controlling for depression and attention, anxiety levels and hyperactivity may be motivating some level of achievement in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer victimization can be detrimental to youth. This study examines a particular type of peer victimization, relational peer victimization, and its effect on students' engagement in the classroom. We specifically investigate the longitudinal relationship between relational peer victimization and academic engagement in a sample of 204 Black 3rd through 5th grade elementary school students by utilizing multiple informants: students and their parents reported on relational peer victimization, and teachers reported on students' academic engagement. Our findings showed convergence between student and parent reports of relational peer victimization and revealed that experiencing relational peer victimization during the beginning of the school year (fall) negatively predicts teacher reported academic engagement towards the end of the school year (spring). Our study suggests that relational peer victimization is a critical issue that educators and researchers should consider when trying to foster academic engagement. There is also a need for further research regarding the role that families play in providing support to Black relationally victimized youth. Highlights: There was moderate correlation between parent and student self-reports of relational peer victimization, suggesting that family members communicate about school-related victimization incidences. We ran separate regression models to examine whether parent or student self-reports of relational peer victimization differed in their associations with teacher reported academic engagement. Both regression models demonstrated that relational peer victimization predicted lower academic engagement, even after controlling for overt peer victimization, overt aggression, and relational aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with air pollution exposure may have far-reaching negative effects on children's scholastic achievement. Moreover, air pollution may be conditioning the success of educational investments that support students who face greatest levels of societal adversity. This study examined the direct main effects of cumulative neurotoxicological exposure on annual reading improvement. We also tested the statistical interaction (i.e., moderation) of neurotoxicological exposure and academic intervention sessions on annual reading improvement for a large sample of ethnic minority (95%) elementary school children (n = 6080, k-6th grade) enrolled in a standard literacy enrichment program. These children were all behind grade level in reading and attended predominantly low-income schools (n = 85) in urban settings across the state of California. Multi-level modeling assessments accounted for random effects associated with school and neighborhood environments, and incorporated extensive individual, school, and community level covariates. Findings show individual elementary students of color to progress less in reading when exposed to greater accumulations of neurotoxin air pollution in their home and school environments, with the average deficit equivalent to 1.5 weeks of learning delay per year. Findings also show neurotoxicological exposure to diminish the efficacy of literacy intervention sessions received on reading improvement throughout the school year. Results suggest that pollution abatement can be a salient strategy to help bridge the child educational achievement gap. In addition to several methodological strengths, this study is one of the first to show that ambient pollution can undermine program efficacy of a literacy enrichment program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate third-grade reading and math proficiency for children born to adolescent women compared with those born to non-adolescent women. Methods: A statewide, retrospective cohort study was conducted in Rhode Island using third-grade year-end examination data from 2014 to 2017 as part of a statewide initiative to improve third grade reading levels. Children's third-grade reading and math proficiencies were compared between those born to nulliparous adolescent women (age 15–19 at the time of delivery), and nulliparous women 20 years or older at delivery. Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare maternal and child characteristics between adolescent and non-adolescent groups. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between having an adolescent mother and being proficient in reading and math after adjusting for lunch subsidy, core city residence, child race/ethnicity and sex. Results: Of the 8,248 children meeting the inclusion criteria, 20% were born to adolescent women and the remaining 80% were born to non-adolescent women. After adjusting for potential confounders, children born to adolescent women were significantly less likely to be proficient in both reading (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71–0.83) and math (aRR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72–0.85). Conclusions for Practice: Children born to adolescent women had significantly lower rates of reading and math proficiency when compared with children of non-adolescent women. These children may benefit from additional resources focused on early academic performance in order to address disparities in reading and math proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined the mediating role of academic self-efficacy and motivational learning strategies in the relationship between personality and elementary school students' achievement. The data were collected using a questionnaire that was administered to 511 Croatian eighth-grade students (14–15 years old) and analysed using Hayes's PROCESS procedure. The results suggest that conscientious students have higher grade point average (GPA) which can partially be explained with their relatively high academic self-efficacy and avoidance of using strategies of protecting self-esteem. Findings also indicate serial mediating effects of academic self-efficacy and strategies of protecting self-esteem on the relationship between conscientiousness and GPA. Openness was positively related to GPA, but only indirectly, through academic self-efficacy. Furthermore, we found an indirect effect of agreeableness on GPA through less frequent use of strategies aimed at protecting self-esteem. Neuroticism and extraversion showed no direct nor indirect effects on GPA. Additionally, students with higher academic self-efficacy were less inclined to use strategies of protecting self-esteem. However, there was no effect of academic self-efficacy on strategies of promoting learning process. This study adds to the existing literature by specifically examining serial mediation of academic self-efficacy and learning strategies in the relationship between personality and GPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between play-based learning and achievement in mathematics in Palestinian elementary school children. Forty teachers from eight schools received training in play-based pedagogies and follow-up support visits from programme staff (intervention group); four matched schools served as the control group. Grade-appropriate tests were administered to all students in two consecutive school terms. A total of 859 students (458 females, 401 males) and 832 students (477 females, 355 males) completed maths tests in term 1 and 2, respectively. Results revealed that the intervention group attained higher test scores than the control group in both terms (P < 0.01). Furthermore, in term 2 an interaction effect between group and gender was found (P < 0.05), with girls in the intervention group achieving the highest scores. Our finding suggest that play-based learning approaches may enhance academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As children spend more and more time on electronic devices and social networks, there is a growing concern about the influence that these activities may have on their development and social well-being. In this context, the present research is aimed at analysing the influence that Internet use may have on 6th grade primary school students' academic performance in Spain. In order to do so, we have employed a methodological approach that combines econometric and interval multiobjective programming techniques, which has let us identify the traits and Internet use patterns that allow students to maximise their academic performance in terms of scores in four competences. Our results show that, while daily use of the Internet to listen to music or search for information about other topics of interest can favor the maximization of educational outcomes, the use of social networks should be limited as much as possible to avoid hindering the educational process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-informants, such as parents and teachers, are commonly considered as resources when evaluating students' emotional and behavioral skills. This research aimed to examine the factor structure comparability between an Arabic version of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale–Second Edition (BERS–2) and the scale's original version. A related purpose was to explore whether the informants' responses support the invariance of factor loadings associated with teachers and parents. A total of 907 parents and teachers of high-achieving students, randomly selected from five governorates in Oman, completed the BERS–2. Results revealed that factor variance, factor loadings, and item intercepts are almost equal across informants. However, while the results suggested an acceptable comparison of factor mean difference among the informants, mean subscale scores were significantly lower in parents than in teachers. The results warrant the need to address issues related to cross-cultural validation when translating instruments into other cultures. Also, the study results inform practitioners about the important role of cross-informant ratings in assessing high-achieving students' behavioral strengths. Highlights: CFA findings confirm five latent factors that can explain most of the BERS-2 items. BERS–2 factor loadings, factor variances, and item intercepts are almost equal across informants. Teachers' BERS subscale scores were higher than parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a cluster randomized trial, we investigated the effects of mathematics professional development on student achievement in elementary schools. Pairs of schools were matched on prior mathematics; percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch and percentage of limited English proficient students were randomly assigned to two groups. One received professional development on mathematics that focuses on diagnosing student thinking and the other received professional development on formative assessment. Student-level achievement data (pretest and posttest performance on a standardized test of mathematics) were nested within grades and schools and analyzed using mixed-effects multi-level linear modeling. The results indicate students in schools that were provided the mathematics professional development had greater mathematics achievement than students in schools in a control condition. The effect held across grade levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous empirical studies on the effect of scaffolding in game-based learning environments have shown inconsistent findings. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effect of scaffolding in digital game-based learning (DGBL) and to explore a range of moderating factors that may have contributed to the inconsistencies of primary studies. We used the three-level meta-analysis method to analyze the data for handling data non-dependency issues of multiple effect sizes in one study. A total of 49 primary studies and 154 effect sizes were identified through systematic literature search. The results show that scaffolding in DGBL could effectively improve learning (g = 0.43, 95% CI: [0.30, 0.56]), and the heterogeneity among studies was significant (Q = 708.99, p < 0.001). Furthermore, our results indicate that the studies involving elementary school students and university students showed larger effect sizes of scaffolding than those involving secondary school students. Scaffolding also appeared to be differentially effective in different types of games: more effective in adventure, puzzle, and simulation games than in role-playing and strategy games. Future studies should pay attention to the design of scaffolding mechanisms in educational digital games and to the influence of scaffolding on behavioral patterns and learning processes of learners engaged in DGBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School engagement is considered an antidote to several academic problems found in middle and high school. Previous data highlight the importance of understanding school engagement in early years. The present systematic review aims to outline investigations regarding school engagement in elementary school. Findings are expected to (i) help educators learn about research in a comprehensible way, (ii) design future school-based interventions with strong theoretical support, and (iii) systematize information about research gaps and indicate new avenues for investigation. The systematic search for original articles published up to 2018 followed the PRISMA statement and Cochrane's guidelines. A total of 102 articles were included and organized, according to the self-system model of motivational development from Skinner et al. (Journal of Educational Psychology,100, 765–781, 2008). Results showed that balanced and quality support from peers, teachers, and parents positively influenced school engagement. Additionally, some common characteristics of the school context were found to undermine school engagement. Regarding interventions aimed to promote school engagement, we found various effective designs, differing in complexity. Moreover, studies focused on students' emotions, behaviors and cognitions, experiences, motivational variables, and learning provided important inputs to promote school engagement. Furthermore, studies focused on examining the trajectories of school engagement provided data to understand how to prevent school engagement from declining throughout schooling. Finally, most studies found a positive and significant relationship between school engagement and achievement; however, results differ regarding the source of information or school domain examined. The school engagement conceptualizations, dimensions, and measures used were analyzed and their relationships to the results were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts such as disasters and higher temperatures can disrupt academic learning and reduce academic performance. Here, we use two-ways linear fixed effects regression to estimate the effects of short-term school closures (1–5 days) due to wildfires, natural hazard impacts, infrastructure, and student safety on academic performance in California, focusing on mathematics and English scores from state assessments and college preparatory exams. Wildfires are responsible for the majority of school closures. Wildfires generate significant negative impacts on academic performance among younger students. We primarily find insignificant impacts on academic achievement due to school closures from other causes, including from the interaction between number of closure days and socioeconomic and racial/ethnic makeup of the school, across all causes. The effects of school closures lasting more than one week (6–10 days) are also generally insignificant, except for the negative impacts of wildfire closures on elementary school students. These results suggest that older students are resilient to most unexpected short-term school closures (1–5 days) or that teachers can make up lessons effectively after schoolwide closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to evaluate whether mental health problems identified through screens administered in first grade are related to poorer academic achievement test scores in the fourth grade. The government of Chile uses brief teacher- and parent-completed measures [Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Revised (TOCA-RR) and Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-Cl)] to screen for mental health problems in about one-fifth of the country's elementary schools. In fourth grade, students take the national achievement tests (SIMCE) of language, mathematics and science. This study examined whether mental health problems identified through either or both screens predicted achievement test scores after controlling for student and family risk factors. A total of 17,252 students had complete first grade teacher forms and these were matched with fourth grade SIMCE data for 11,185 students, 7,903 of whom also had complete parent form data from the first grade. Students at risk on either the TOCA-RR or the PSC-Cl or both performed significantly worse on all SIMCE subtests. Even after controlling for covariates and adjusting for missing data, students with mental health problems on one screen in first grade had fourth grade achievement scores that were 14-18 points (~1/3 SD) lower than students screened as not at risk. Students at risk on both screens had scores that were on average 33 points lower than students at risk on either screen. Mental health problems in first grade were one of the strongest predictors of lower achievement test scores 3 years later, supporting the premise that for children mental health matters in the real world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the long-term effects of households' exposure to violent conflict on children's educational attainment in primary school, studying cognitive and non-cognitive skills as possible causal channels. Our identification strategy exploits the locality-level variation in the intensity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West Bank during the Second Intifada (2000–2005). We show that an increase in family experience of conflict has large negative long-term effects on the educational attainment of children as measured by grade point averages. We find that non-cognitive rather than cognitive skills are the channels through which exposure affects children's educational achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacognitive monitoring is a significant predictor of academic achievement and is assumed to be related to language competencies. Hence, it may explain academic performance differences between native and non-native speaking students. We compared metacognitive monitoring (in terms of resolution) between native and non-native speaking fourth graders (~ 10 year olds) in two studies. In Study 1, we matched 30 native and 30 non-native speakers and assessed their monitoring in the context of a paired-associates task, including a recognition test and confidence judgements. Study 1 revealed that recognition and monitoring did not differ between native and non-native speaking children. In Study 2, we matched 36 native and 36 non-native speakers and assessed their monitoring with the same paired-associates task. Additionally, we included a text comprehension task with open-ended questions and confidence judgments. We replicated the findings of Study 1, suggesting that recognition and monitoring do not necessarily differ between native and non-native speakers. However, native speaking students answered more open-ended questions correctly than non-native speaking students did. Nevertheless, the two groups did not differ in monitoring their answers to open-ended questions. Our results indicate that native and non-native speaking children may monitor their metacognitive resolution equally, independent of task performance and characteristics. In conclusion, metacognitive monitoring deficits may not be the primary source of the academic performance differences between native and non-native speaking students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prekindergarten programs are instrumental for smooth transition to the primary grades. Although the prevalence of these programs has expanded, limited studies document the long-term outcomes associated with children's engagement in such programs and for specific content areas such as mathematics. Objective: This study predicted the longitudinal mathematics achievement of 458 students as they progressed through elementary and middle school, accounting for their participation in Georgia's prekindergarten (Pre-K) program at age 4. Method: Archived academic achievement data in mathematics were extracted from one school district in the southeastern United States. A multilevel approach was employed to account for the nesting of students within schools. Liner and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the long-term relationship between prekindergarten participation and mathematics achievement. Results: After controlling for the effects of race, sex, and poverty, results indicated that participation in Georgia's Pre-K program positively predicted mathematics achievement through seventh grade. For fourth through seventh grades, the odds of a Georgia Pre-K participant meeting the state's academic standards on the statewide standardized test were 1.67–2.10 times greater than the odds for a nonparticipant. Conclusion: Although the reported effect sizes were small, children's participation in the Georgia Pre-K program had a long-term influence on their mathematics achievement through elementary and middle school, providing evidence of sustained benefits of a state-funded prekindergarten program. Quality learning experiences during the early years might provide skills and knowledge that serve as building blocks for later mathematics achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine relationships between motivations towards higher education choices, gender and beliefs about the financial consequences of these choices. We control for home background, school type and students' expectations of grades they will achieve at age 16. We use a unique individual-level UK data set from a random sample of schools with a student sample size of 5012. These motivations are coded on six-point Likert scales so our modelling approach is by means of 'multivariate ordered logit' regressions. Boys express a much stronger motivation towards private financial gain whilst girls express stronger motivation towards occupational status and contributions towards society. We also find strong positive associations between motivation towards personal financial gain and beliefs about the financial value of a higher education. Our results support a multi-stranded theory of motivation towards higher education that takes account of beliefs about the external environment as well as self-beliefs about future academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely assumed that teachers play a key role in providing high-quality learning opportunities to students and fostering students' learning. Yet it is still unclear how specific teacher knowledge facets as part of their professional competence contribute to classroom processes and learning outcomes. Focusing on mathematics education at the secondary level, this study investigates the links between teachers' pedagogical competence (i.e., cognitive pedagogical facets of their professional competence), instructional quality, and students' mathematics achievement. The sample comprises mathematics teacher and student data from 59 classrooms in Germany. Student mathematics achievement was measured across two time points (grade 7 and 8). Teachers' pedagogical competence was tested using two tests measuring their general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) and situation-specific classroom management expertise (CME). Instructional quality was measured using observational rating data from in vivo rating in mathematics classrooms. Research questions on the relation of teachers' competence and students' mathematics achievement were answered using multilevel models. Results from multilevel regression analyses indicate that both GPK and CME predict instructional quality. Direct statistical effects on students' mathematical progress were identified, whereas no indirect statistical effects via instructional quality could be identified. Although teachers' measured pedagogical competence is not subject-specific, it serves as a significant predictor for cognitive activation as an indispensable part of quality-oriented mathematical teaching and learning processes in the lower secondary mathematics classroom, and it contributes to students' mathematical progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The few studies on the achievement differences of mainstream and immigrant primary school students in large-scale assessments point to an achievement gap in many subject areas, with immigrant students trailing mainstream students. A recurrent methodological problem of these studies is that the two student groups do not come from comparable backgrounds. This study examined the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) math achievement of 4th grade mainstream and immigrant students in various European countries. Results showed that there was no systematic difference between first- and second-generation immigrants' mathematics achievement levels. It was found that after statistically matching the background resources of the mainstream and immigrant students, both groups revealed comparable levels in mathematics. Finally, related to country characteristics that were associated with educational achievement, it was found that immigrant students in countries which had higher human development indicators showed higher educational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the relationship between math anxiety in parents and teachers and math anxiety and math achievement in first- to third-grade children. The results indicate that math anxiety in fathers (but not mothers and teachers) is associated with math anxiety in first-grade children and third-grade girls. Math anxiety in mothers and teachers (but not fathers) explains the level of math achievement in third-grade children. The research results indicate the importance of adults in shaping pupils' math anxiety and math achievement, but these relationships vary depending on gender and the grade year. The obtained outcomes generally suggest that adults' math anxiety is not a social source of children's math anxiety, but it can be considered a source of low math achievement among children in the final grade of early school education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor proficiency and socioeconomic status are considered critical role players in setting children on an early trajectory of academic failure or success. To determine longitudinal influences of motor proficiency (MP) and socioeconomic status (SES) on academic achievement of primary school learners, a mediating model was constructed and tested with structural equation modelling (SEM). Primary school learners (N = 381) took part in this 7 school year NW-CHILD longitudinal study, with baseline measurements in grade 1 and follow-up measurements in grades 4 and 7. Academic achievement was based on school, national, and provincial assessments, and the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2) assessed MP. SES was operationalized as poverty classification which was based on school SES. Significant small to moderate correlations (r =.19 to r =.36) were confirmed between early MP and later academic achievement, with impaired academic achievement and MP (p <.05) in low SES participants. MP, SES and academic performance in grade 1 were all significantly related. A direct association between academic achievement in grade 1 and grade 7 were confirmed. Academic achievement in grade 4 did however act as mediator and indirectly associated SES (−.413; −.417), MP (.083;.093) and academic achievement in grade 1 (.401;.398) with academic achievement in grade 7. Grade 4 academic achievement portrayed the largest standardized regression coefficients with grade 7 (.693;.731). Low SES, and poor MP in first graders can contribute to compounded academic risk that are detrimental to academic achievement throughout the primary school years and should be addressed by timely interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the author's views on an article reacting to her paper about the effect of television on the academic achievement of school children in the U.S. There is an alleged problem in identifying the exact message of the article. The authors of the article misinterpreted the purpose and contents of her paper. They were also wrong in criticizing her for ignoring the subject of creativity. The authors appear to place much significance on controls for factors such as intelligence quotient (IQ). The IQ test and resultant score has now been designated as a dubious measure of intelligence, and its relationship to achievement is not clearly definable.

We experimentally examined whether preservice teachers considered both the gender of primary school students and their development of GPAs, indicated by two successive school reports, when making secondary school-track recommendations. We used student vignettes to mimic real students and orthogonally varied student gender, their GPA development (positive vs. negative), and the grand mean of grades. We found that students who improved were more than twice as likely to be recommended for the highest track than those who deteriorated. Moreover, we could show that with deteriorating students, male participants preferred boys relative to girls. These results are discussed regarding possible rules of extrapolating current achievements and concerning the gender of students and participants, and conclusions are drawn with respect to preservice teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the impact of the Experience Corps® (EC) Baltimore program, an intergenerational, school-based program aimed at improving academic achievement and reducing disruptive school behavior in urban, elementary school students in Kindergarten through third grade (K-3). Teams of adult volunteers aged 60 and older were placed in public schools, serving 15 h or more per week, to perform meaningful and important roles to improve the educational outcomes of children and the health and well-being of volunteers. Findings indicate no significant impact of the EC program on standardized reading or mathematical achievement test scores among children in grades 1-3 exposed to the program. K-1st grade students in EC schools had fewer principal office referrals compared to K-1st grade students in matched control schools during their second year in the EC program; second graders in EC schools had fewer suspensions and expulsions than second graders in non-EC schools during their first year in the EC program. In general, both boys and girls appeared to benefit from the EC program in school behavior. The results suggest that a volunteer engagement program for older adults can be modestly effective for improving selective aspects of classroom behavior among elementary school students in under-resourced, urban schools, but there were no significant improvements in academic achievement. More work is needed to identify individual- and school-level factors that may help account for these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study aimed to combine the use of electronic technology and dynamic testing to overcome the limitations of conventional static testing, and adapt more closely to children's individual needs. We investigated the effects of a newly developed computerized series completion test using a dynamic testing approach and its relation to school achievement. The study utilized a pre-test-training post-test control-group design in which 164 children from grade 2 participated. To evaluate the additional effects of dynamic testing beyond the effects of (repeated) static testing of inductive reasoning on a tablet, half of the children were trained using a graduated prompts method, while the other half of the children only practiced solving the series completion task-items. The results showed that training with graduated prompts is effective in increasing the likelihood that children can solve series completion problems accurately. Furthermore, the number of prompts children needed during training, significantly predicted the performances of children on mathematics and technical reading tests. Teacher's judgments regarding their pupils' overall school performance and potential for learning, however, did not correlate significantly with the dynamic post-test score of the series completion test, which seemed to indicate that dynamic testing provides teachers with new information about the learning progress of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a commentary for the special issue on affect and mathematics in young children, written from the perspective of research on affect in mathematics education. The studies in this special issue focus on the individual learners' affective traits and use primarily surveys as the method. The most common type of affect is emotions, but some studies do examine student beliefs and motivation. The analysis of concept definitions and operationalizations identified some inconsistencies between the different articles, especially with how they operationalize anxiety either as sadness, worry, or fear. The results of the studies provide evidence that young learners' affect can be reliably measured and that there is a correlation between affect and achievement. This correlation is weaker than for older students and longitudinal data suggests that the causal direction is more likely from achievement to affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Afterschool programs (ASPs) in the United States have been implemented in low income neighborhoods to enable at-risk youth to access educational support services to increase academic skills. However, mixed findings about the ASPs positively affecting academic performance suggests a need for additional evaluative studies.Objective: The current study examines the effects of literacy training on the reading skills of kindergarten to third grade students who were enrolled in a community-based ASP in four public housing neighborhoods. Participants received structured literacy and reading training, individual tutoring, and a choice-based book distribution program.Method: Assignment to treatment and comparison groups was based on residence in public housing neighborhoods. We implemented a quasi-experimental design to compare improvements in reading proficiency among ASP literacy program participants in four public housing neighborhoods and a comparable group of students residing in two other public housing neighborhoods without this ASP. Participants were enrolled in grades K to 3 (n = 543). The study lasted for 4 years, and an intent-to-treat approach was used to analyze outcomes.Results: Mixed-effects models indicated that among a full sample and propensity-score matched sample, ASP participants demonstrated significantly better reading proficiency than comparison group participants over time.Conclusions: Study findings provide preliminary evidence that it is possible to impact reading proficiency for very high-risk students in the early grades of elementary school. ASPs that target literacy among low-income students could play an important role in boosting student achievement, and therefore in narrowing the achievement gap as young people progress through school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To investigate factors related to reasoning skills in 434 school children aged 5-9 years. Methods The Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised was used to assess reasoning skills. Demographic, work and family income data, information on child’s daily behavior and school academic achievement were provided by the participating children’s parents. Results Reasoning scores increased by 4.56 points with increasing subject’s age, 1.71 points with increasing level of father’s occupation, 1.86 points with each increase in the subject’s GPA, 1.13 points with consumption of breakfast at home and 1.81 points when child slept more hours. Having a father who smoked and living in a rural area decreased scores in reasoning. Conclusions for Practice Screening of reasoning and associated factors is essential for a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the child’s abilities and limitations. Understanding the child’s reasoning abilities is critical for establishing intervention goals and planning therapeutic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The growing interest in principal effectiveness as a means of improving teaching and student learning has led to a focus on the quality of principal preparation programs (PPPs) with calls for the adoption of PPP accountability systems similar to those of teacher preparation programs. Objective: The purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of the National Institute for School Leadership's Executive Development Program (NISL-EDP) on student achievement in a large school district in the Midwestern United States. Method: The sample included elementary and middle school students whose principals participated in the NISL-EDP compared with students in schools with non-EDP trained principals. Using propensity score matching, findings are reported from the analysis of standardized student achievement scores on the state test, the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination. Results: Overall, in terms of state reading and mathematics achievement tests, the control students scored higher in Spring 2014 relative to their NISL counterparts. Conclusions: With respect to researchers and policymakers, the approach used to evaluating PPP effectiveness and principal effectiveness is informative and could be used as part of larger accountability systems. Student test scores do not, however, fully capture principal effectiveness and alone should not be used in making high-stakes decisions pertaining to programs or individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the progress in literacy among the Indian states, from an age-cohort perspective. It argues that age-cohort analysis offers a robust understanding of the dynamics of literacy progress. The article clearly brings out the fact that, despite the accomplishment of universal elementary education, achieving the goal of full literacy is quite difficult, owing to the existence of an out-of-school-age illiterate population. Thus, the study suggests provision of an effective adult-literacy programme along with universal elementary education in order to realize the goal of full literacy. Further, it argues that comparisons based on the average literacy rate have led to a computation of a "literacy deprivation index" adjusted with age structure--and that such adjustment leads us to view the literacy gap across all the states as wider, given that it assumes lower values. This minimal standardization, along with the age structure of the population, offers a valid comparison of this commonly used indicator. Its prospect of progress, too, is largely dependent upon the emerging age structure of the population as a result of the unfolding demographic transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This follow up study with 23 normal functioning 1st graders examined the long-term effectiveness of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) on academic achievement. Through the use of a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance, researchers examined the use of CCPT from pre-intervention to mid-intervention (16 sessions) to post-intervention (26 sessions). Results indicated that children who participated in 26 sessions of CCPT demonstrated statistically significant improvement on the Early Achievement Composite as measured on the Young Children's Achievement Test (YCAT), along with increases in the Reading, Mathematics, and Spoken Language subscales. Participants showed statistically consistent improvement in academic scores of the full duration of the study. Overall, the findings imply that CCPT as a long term method can support academic achievement in the school system with normal functioning 1st grade students. The outcome suggests long term CCPT is an intervention for elementary/primary school counselors to use with children who have emotional or academic needs. The findings open the door for school counselors or outside professionals to use play therapy with children in the school system as a way of providing academic support and thereby promoting the field of play therapy in the school system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]