Trends in Neuroscience and Education最新文献

Background

Educational neuromyths are known to exist amongst teachers in Western countries, and some researchers argue that neuromyths may affect classroom teaching.

Method

An online survey was designed and distributed to sixty-four Hong Kong inclusive education teachers. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, Hierarchical Multiple Regression, and Thematic analysis were used to analyzed the collected data.

Results

First, there is a relatively low prevalence of neuromyths among Hong Kong teachers. Second, neuromyths were not significantly correlated with inclusive teachers' instructional practices. Third, teachers’ general knowledge of the brain was significantly correlated with neuromyths and is a significant predictor of neuromyths. Fourth, the work-related stress of teachers was the main barrier to learning about neuroscience and adopting evidence-based practices in classroom teaching in Hong Kong.

Conclusion

Our findings raise awareness of environmental and cultural factors that need to be considered and might affect the prevalence of neuromyths studies in non-WEIRD contexts.

Background: Physical activity, fundamental motor skills, executive functions and early numeracy have shown to be related, but very little is known about the developmental relations of these factors.

Procedure: We followed 317 children (3–6 years) over two years. Fundamental motor skills and executive functions (inhibition+switching, updating) were measured at all time points (T1, T2, T3) and physical activity at T1 and early numeracy at T3.

Main findings: Children with better fundamental motor skills at T1 developed slower in inhibition and switching. Fundamental motor skills developed faster in children who had better initial inhibition and switching ability. Vigorous physical activity at T1 was associated with a weaker initial inhibition and switching. The initial level and the developmental rate of updating were related to better early numeracy skills.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that fundamental motor skills and executive functions are developmentally related, and updating is an important predictor for early numeracy in preschoolers.

Background: Neuromyths are commonly held misconceptions about the brain, often generated by a misunderstanding of scientifically established facts. To date, limited research has explored the pervalence of neuromyths about neurodevelopmental disorders in the teacher population. Method: The current study investigated the prevalence of teachers’ general and neurodevelopmental neuromyths among 820 Italian teachers. Results: Italian teachers correctly identified 73% of general neuromyths and 70% of neurodevelopmental neuromyths. The difference between general and neurodevelopmental neuromyths endorsement was significant. Frequency of accessing relevant information emerged as a protective factor. A mediation analysis showed that higher need for cognition was significantly associated with a higher frequency of accessing relevant information about the brain, which in turn led to lower endorsement of neuromyths. Conclusion: In line with our findings, we suggest that teachers can benefit from neuroeducation initiatives aimed to enhance neuroscience literacy in both the initial education and continuous professional development of teachers.

Misconceptions about how the brain works (neuromyths) are shown to be common among educators, but little is known about neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) neuromyths. Here, we explored the prevalence of both general and neurodevelopmental disorders neuromyths in Chilean teachers and other educational professionals. One hundred forty-four participants answered an online neuroscience knowledge, interest, and training questionnaire. Regression analysis showed that both teachers and non-teachers endorsed more neuromyths related to NDDs compared to general neuromyths and that familiarity with the NDDs but not necessarily neuroscience training or interest plays an important role in the endorsement of these neuromyths. The findings indicate that dyscalculia is the least known neurodevelopmental disorder. Although inclusion politics demand training for all educational actors, the current findings suggest effective translational efforts between neuroscience and education fields should continue.

Background

Mathematics achievement is pivotal in shaping children's future prospects. Cognitive skills (numeracy), feelings (anxiety), and the social environment (home learning environment) influence early math development.

Method

A longitudinal study involved 85 children (mean age T1 = 6.4 years; T2 = 7.9) to explore these predictors holistically. Data were collected on early numeracy skills, home learning environment, math anxiety, and their impact on various aspects of math.

Results

The study found that early numeracy skills, home learning environment, and math anxiety significantly influenced math school achievement. However, they affected written computation, sequences, and comparisons differently. Early numeracy skills strongly predicted overall achievement and comparison subtest performance.

Conclusion

These findings underscore the substantial role of math anxiety and home learning environment in children's math achievement. The study emphasizes the need to consider the selective impacts of these factors in future research, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of mathematics achievement determinants.

Introduction

This research intends to increase the knowledge about the use of board games in the classroom to train executive functions and academic skills. 99 children from rural schools were assessed in executive functions and academic skills.

Methods

Through a randomized controlled trial, they were assigned to a playing group (n = 51) and an active control group (regular classes without games, n = 48). Play program consisted of 12 sessions for 6 weeks with eight commercial board games.

Results

In flexibility, the playing group was significantly faster after the program (p= = .01, d = 0.76), but not the control group (p = .23; d = 0.35). Both groups improved in the academic tasks, but the significance in calculus was greater in the playing group (p = .00; d = 2.19) than in the control group (p = .01; d = 0.97).

Discusion

The use of board games during school hours could be as good or better methodology for cognitive training and learning academic skills than regular classes.

Cognitive control consists of high-level cognitive processes regulating thoughts and actions during goal-directed behavior and problem-solving. This study analyzes the performance of 4- to 8-year-old children in Stroop-like and ToL tasks using stimuli with different emotional valence. Significant differences were found in the performance in the congruent block of the Stroop-like task, where 5-year-old children presented a higher performance in the neutral condition. Also, a significant difference was only found in the incongruent block (with higher demand for inhibition), which indicates that girls performed better than boys in both task conditions. Variations in the Stroop-like task performance were found in preschoolers but not in older children, especially in girls than in boys. Specifically, these variations were found between age groups with at least two years of difference. No statistically significant differences were found in performance nor planning time in ToL between the age and gender groups in any of the task conditions. The findings highlight the need to analyze the interaction between cognitive and emotional processing, individual differences, and task demands.

Background

Universities need to find strategies for improving student retention rates. Predicting student academic performance enables institutions to identify underachievers and take appropriate actions to increase student completion and lower dropout rates.

Method

In this work, we proposed a model based on random forest methodology to predict students' course performance using seven input predictors and find their relative importance in determining the course grade. Seven predictors were derived from transcripts and recorded data from 650 undergraduate computing students.

Results

Our findings indicate that grade point average and high school score were the two most significant predictors of a course grade. The course category and class attendance percentage have equal importance. Course delivery mode does not have a significant effect.

Conclusion

Our findings show that courses students at risk find challenging can be identified, and appropriate actions, procedures, and policies can be taken.

Purpose

This quasi-experimental study investigates the impact of enhancing metacognition in learning inferential reading skills in English as a second language.

Procedures

Six Grade 4 classes were randomly assigned to two groups. The “Control group” received an instructional unit on inferential reading skills. The “Metacognition group” received the same unit, including metacognitive activities. Students were assessed in metacognitive and inferential reading skills before (pre-test), immediately after (post-test) and four weeks after the intervention (deferred test).

Findings

Metacognitive strategy instruction enhanced student learning of inferential reading skills and its sustainability in time. The Metacognition group attained a significantly higher average score in deploying metacognitive skills both in the post and deferred tests, indicating that the intervention was effective, as intended, to this end. While both groups significantly improved their proficiency in inferential reading skills after working with the provided instructional unit, there was a significant difference in the Metacognition group, which outperformed the Control one, even more strongly in the deferred test.

Conclusions

Findings support the importance of deliberately promoting metacognition as it positively impacts learning outcomes and sustainability.

Background

Exercise has transient effects on cognition and mood, however the impact of Physical Education (PE) on cognitive and affective processes across the school day has not been examined.

Method

This study used wearables and questionnaires to track student arousal, engagement, and emotion across school days/periods following PE. Skin conductance, heart rate, heart rate variability, and self-reported engagement, arousal, and valence were analyzed for 23 students (age 15–17 years) on days with and without PE.

Results

Sympathetic arousal was significantly higher for two hours following PE and there were stronger decreases in arousal across other classes relative to days without PE. On days with PE, engagement decreased, whereas valence increased from morning to afternoon.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the importance of considering acute effects of PE on learning across the entire school day, and demonstrates the feasibility of wearables to clarify how the timing of PE could positively or negatively affect self-regulation and learning.