The goals of the study were to examine the predictive power of general cognitive ability, working memory, and self-efficacy in first grade for academic functioning of children at risk for learning disabilities in second grade. The study involved 82 children (age 6-7 years) from five local public elementary schools in middle-class neighborhoods in Jerusalem, including 41 children at risk for specific learning disabilities and 41 typically developing peers. In the first stage of the study, (performed at the end of first grade), general cognitive ability and working memory were assessed using subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (the subtests consisted of:  Vocabulary and Block Design for general cognitive ability; Arithmetic and Digit Span for working memory). Academic self-efficacy was rated using a structural interview. At follow-up, academic functioning was assessed at the end of second grade. A serial-multiple mediation analysis revealed significant mediating roles for levels of performance in the Arithmetic subtest and for academic self-efficacy in predicting the academic functioning in second grade. The significance of the Arithmetic subtest, based on contemporary research on the structure of the intelligence was proposed. Educational implications call for sensitizing teachers to the unique role of academic self-efficacy in shaping trajectories of academic functioning development among children with RLD and in using effective strategies of promoting self-efficacy.

Previous studies have confirmed that perceived social support facilitates university adjustment during emerging adulthood. Less is known, however, about the specific dimensions of social support that foster successful transition to university. This research represents the first attempt to examine the combined effects of social provisions, sense of support and perceived acceptance on each facet of adaptation to higher education. The sample consisted of 198 women and 102 men, of average age 18.03 years (SD = 0.52), enrolled in the first year of different degree courses at a public university. Three measures were used to assess various dimensions of perceived social support: the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ6), the Perceived Acceptance Scale (PAS) and Social Provisions Scale (SPS). The measures of the various facets of university adjustment were obtained from the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). Regression analysis indicated that reassurance of worth and perceived acceptance by friends were the dimensions that best predicted all facets of university adjustment. The findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of how perception of social support could be used to develop effective intervention strategies and programmes to prevent failure at university.

Insurgency and armed conflict in Northern Nigeria especially Kano metropolis have exposed many secondary school students to trauma related experiences and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is estimated that about 13,000 persons have been killed and about 981,416 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in the various camps in Northern Nigeria (NEMA, 2015). The profound impact of the trauma experienced by these students on their mental health informed the need for the psycho-education intervention. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of psycho-educational intervention on PTSD symptoms among secondary school students exposed to conflict in Kano metropolis and to examine the effects of psycho-education intervention in reduction of re-experiencing, hyper-arousal and avoidance symptoms. A pre-test and post-test control group design was adopted for this study. A sample of 40 research participants (male=19, female=21) were selected for the study. These research participants were drawn from secondary schools clustered within the community where conflicts have taken place. The instrument for data collection was the adapted version of the University of California at Los Angeles post-traumatic stress Disorder Reaction Index  (UCLA PTSD Reaction Index). The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index measured PTSD symptoms. Result obtained after testing the hypotheses showed that there was a significant difference in the PTSD mean scores of students exposed to psychoeducational intervention (Mean= 22.40, Standard deviation = 4.47, Standard error = .998) and those not exposed to the intervention (Mean = 38.90, Standard deviation = 14.835, Standard error = 3.317), t (38) = -4.763, p < .0001 (two-tailed), Effect size is r = .61. It is important to provide professional and psychosocial support to students who developed mental health problems due to exposure to conflict.

The majority of research on the relationship between phonological awareness and written language focuses on demonstrating the influence of the former on the latter. However, the aim of this study is to analyse the effects of an Early Years written language programme on phonological awareness. The sample comprises 56 Spanish children aged 5-7 who are at risk of developing learning disabilities. A mixed design was used, with four assessments and three intervention stages, two study variables (syllable and phoneme awareness) and two groups (instructed and uninstructed). The results show that instructed groups achieved better scores for phonological awareness in all the assessments. The findings corroborate the short and medium-term efficacy of systemic and structured intervention in reading and writing with regard to the acquisition of phonological awareness among young Spanish children at risk of developing learning disabilities.

Previous research suggests that learning basic neuroscience constructs, especially about the malleability of the brain, impacts middle school and older students’ academic mindset, response to failure and academic persistence.  This research targets teacher beliefs using a similar model.  Teachers were taught introductory neuroscience concepts related to how the brain learns.  Session topics included: basic neurodevelopment, neuroplasticity, sleep and the brain, stress and the brain, exercise and the brain, growth mindset, growth mindset feedback, self- control and grit.   Results of this school level intervention suggest significant impacts on teachers’ mindset, teaching efficacy, teachers’ approach to learning and grit.  In particular, teacher mindset beliefs significantly increased after the teachers were taught the concepts.  Implications for schools and teacher preparation are discussed.

This paper presents findings from an extensive study conducted in Brazil. The main subjects of the study were Bulgarian children living and studying in Brazilian schools. The main goal was to indicate what kind of problems and obstacles they experience during the school time in Brazil and how the Brazilian government and people support these Bulgarian children. The data was collected by a Bulgarian research team that travelled to the remote regions of Brazil where many Bulgarian citizens live and work. The researchers took interviews with the Bulgarian children and their parents as well as school staff at the schools in Brazil with a high population of Bulgarian children. The analysis revealed many different problems that Bulgarian children and their parents highlighted, such as problems with the language of instructions, misunderstandings of school rules and general problems related to living in the remote areas of Brazil, such as weather and heat-related issues. Although many Bulgarian families reported some problems, they were still determined to continue their life and career in Brazil, and they want to continue to pursue their dreams.

Executive Functions (EFs) describe a set of cognitive control abilities that help children to develop self-regulated behavior and do well in their schooling. The promotion of EFs in children at social risk is an area of relevance for neurosciences and education. On this basis, the present study set out to analyze a school-based intervention targeted to strengthening EFs in Argentine children at social risk. Participants were 69 children from 8 to 10 years old, from an urban-marginalized federal school in Mendoza. A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design was used, with a control group. The cognitive intervention was embedded in the school curriculum and was carried out for a month and a half. The schoolchildren were evaluated before and after the intervention with EFs’ neuropsychological tests. The main results showed that the group cognitive intervention was associated with gains in the schoolchildren’s attention processes, although it did not favor other EFs, which could indicate moderate effectiveness. These data provide evidence in favor of ecological interventions as a way to promote attention development trajectories in children at social risk, and in turn, draw up guidelines to reflect on the design and the modalities of school-based interventions.

This work has two objectives. The first is to describe a program to strengthen socio-cognitive abilities in initial education children (called PHSC), which is focused on training teachers on its implementation in the classroom. The second objective is to examine the effectiveness of the program when it is applied in schools with different socio-cultural contexts. It involved a total of 257 initial-level students attending two pre-primary schools in the province of Mendoza. One school was in an urban area of a more stable social environment, and the other in a socially-vulnerable area.  The program was administered by teachers who had been trained for it. Pre- and post-assessments were conducted using socio-cognitive tests on the students. The teachers responded to the Executive Functioning Scale for initial education children before and after implementation of the PHSC program, and parents responded to an on-line survey to find out whether they had noticed any improvements or positive changes after the application of the program. The results suggest the possibility that this program, implemented by teachers, could improve the socio-cognitive abilities in children of both of the different social contexts, as well as being a driver to create conditions of equal opportunities and generate learning benefits in all their students.

The diagnostic utility of the Woodcock- Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Clinical Clusters was assessed in a sample of 52 children (26 Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disordered (ADHD) and 26 matched controls). Multivariate analysis of variance followed by post-hoc testing and d-ratios yielded some statistically significant and clinically meaningful differences between groups on the Cognitive Fluency Cluster and the Tests of Auditory Attention, and Rapid Picture Naming. Discriminant function analyses indicated that the WJ III COG Tests collectively classified 80.77% of the sample correctly (76.92% of controls and 84.62% of children with ADHD correctly identified). The Auditory Attention and Rapid Picture Naming tests were found to make the most significant contribution overall to the discriminant function. Using a cut-score of 85, the WJ-III COG Clinical clusters and subtests examined in this study offered fair to weak diagnostic utility based on indices of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive power, as well as results of Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analyses. Implications for research and practice are outlined.

During the second decade of the 21st century families and schools world-wide have been affected by several critical events, with economic recession, the refugee crisis, and lately the COVID-19 pandemic being the most prominent. Pertaining to the school community (students, educators, administration, parents, school personnel etc.), evidence-based interventions for improving mental health and supporting psychosocial adjustment are necessary. In this paper the development, implementation, and evaluation of the international WeCARE (We Connect, Accept, Respect, Empower) program, an online multilevel intervention for promoting well-being and resilience in the school community during unsettling times, is presented. The Program has a multicultural perspective and provides the opportunity to students from different countries to cooperate and develop multicultural skills. The intervention is based on a conceptual model for enhancing positive development, resilience, social and emotional skills, and competence. The interventions were implemented on individual and system levels over four consecutive years, including web-based teachers’ training and supervision, seminars for parents, and classroom implementation. Furthermore, collaboration amongst schools and educational settings was highlighted, in the form of networking at national and international level. Based on the evaluation results, the necessity for further development and implementation of programs for the promotion of resilience and well-being during unsettling times is discussed.

The main purpose of this study case is to investigate the contribution of the school community to the improvement of the school. In that context, a two-phase research was conducted. In the first phase, the self-evaluation process was implemented during the first year of the research with the participation of the school community. An overall picture of the school was created, with its strong and weak points reflected in the school's final self-evaluation report. Upon the completion of the school self-evaluation process the school community decided on the implementation of actions in order to reduce a number of dysfunctional behaviors, such as bullying incidents that occurred in the school on the part of some students. The school actions and the relevant results constituted the second phase of the research work. The results showed that some of the dysfunctional behaviors were found to be decreased to a statistically significant level after action was taken by the school community.

Findings from a research synthesis of the relationships between family needs and parent, family, and child functioning are reported. The synthesis included 31 studies conducted in 12 different countries. The studies were conducted between 1987 and 2021 and included 4,543 participants. Eight different family needs scales or adaptations of the scales were completed by the study participants (mothers, fathers, or grandmothers of children with developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, or medical conditions). The outcome measures included caregiver psychological health, parenting stress, parenting burden, parenting beliefs, family coping strategies, family functioning, family support, and child functioning. The correlations between family needs and the outcome measures were used as the sizes of effects for evaluating the strength of the relationships between measures. Results showed that unmet family needs were associated with more negative and less positive family and family member functioning and fewer unmet family needs were associated with more positive and less negative family and family member functioning. The sizes of effect for parenting stress and burden were larger than were the sizes of effects for each of the other outcome measures. Child condition and study quality moderated the relationship between family needs and parenting stress and burden but not the other outcome measures. The results are discussed in terms of one component of family systems intervention models.

Despite the desirability of working in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), Black and Latinx people are underrepresented in these fields. Sustaining engagement in STEM is central to addressing the representation gap. This qualitative study examined whether and how a STEM-based after-school program (Changemakers) impacted students’ sense of engagement in STEM. Changemakers incorporates the basic tenets of STEM engagement and a purpose curriculum to increase students' sense of engagement. Purpose is an aspiration towards future-oriented goals, active engagement with one’s goals, and intention to contribute to the world. The sample was composed of students, ages 15-17 years old (N=10, 5=M; 5=F), from a public, low-income high school. Findings suggested that three elements helped engage participants with STEM material: challenging and novel curriculum, experiential learning, and supportive relationships. These findings underscore additional STEM programs can enhance their student’s learning and connection to the field by ensuring that their program encapsulates these identified components.

Various investigations have applied meditation protocols in the school context, with beneficial effects. Transcendental meditation, however, received little attention in primary school settings and few controlled studies are available. The present study is aimed: 1) to investigate the implementation of a school protocol (Quiet Time-QT) based on Transcendental Meditation ™ in a primary school setting 2) to test its efficacy in promoting strengths and resilience in children, using a controlled research, with a cross over design. 92 students attending fourth and fifth class of a primary school were assigned to either the QT intervention, or to a waiting list condition. Children assigned to the waiting list received the QT protocol after few months. Before and after the intervention children were evaluated by their teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). A Repeated Measures MANOVA was applied to compare the two groups. After the QT intervention children in the experimental condition showed fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties (SDQ) compared to children in the waiting list. An overall positive effect of QT was observed in the total sample in improving children’s strengths and emotional well-being. Participants enjoyed the practice of meditation in the school setting. Conclusions: the results of this controlled investigation showed that the QT school protocol is feasible in the school setting, and it yielded improvements in children’s strengths and well-being. Meditation programs could be easily included in the educational system to sustain children positive development.

The PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX-GBG) is an evidence-based universal preventive intervention program for classroom use. Our aim was to explore teachers’ perceptions of PAX-GBG and their work with it, and whether this changed during the implementation of the intervention. In addition, we explored teachers’ perceptions, and changes in perceptions, regarding how they perceived their workload when learning and using PAX, how it influenced relationships in the classroom and students with special needs. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with six female teachers at three time-points during a school year. Based on thematic analysis, four themes illustrating teachers’ experiences and the perceived effects of PAX-GBG on classroom relationships were identified: (1) Working with PAX-GBG, (2) The Game, (3) Focus on Behaviour, and (4) Relationships. A notable finding was that most teachers, at the outset, had concerns regarding the PAX Game and that these concerns mostly disappeared after they had experienced working with it. Based on improved student behaviours and overall enhanced relationships in the classroom, our results show that PAX-GBG is a suitable intervention for all students. Students with special needs may especially benefit due to a focus on clear expectations, positive reinforcement, and a more inclusive classroom climate. Some remaining concerns regarding the universal suitability of the game need to be explored further in future studies. Based on the results in this study, PAX-GBG seems to have high social validity in a Swedish context.

This study explored the impact of the peer support programme on pupils at Japanese technical high school for over 6 years. A total of 268 pupils (an intervention group 112; a control group 114) were invited for the study and the pupils of the intervention group were given peer support training and they joined its supporting activities. All the pupils were assessed three times by adopting IRS, RSES10 and GHQ28. The results showed that the programme seemed to give positive influences on the peer supporters in terms of IRS, RSES10 and GHQ28. Also, both group members were classified into low-scoring groups and high-scoring groups, depending on their scores at the first assessment. Then, the results of analysis showed that the pupils from both low & high -scoring groups significantly improved their scores in IRS. In RSES10 and GHQ28, the pupils from the low-scoring groups improved their scores, but those from the high-scoring groups did not improve much. As a conclusion, even in a technical high school where the majority of pupils was male pupils (over 90%), the peer support programme seemed to give positive influences on the peer supporters in terms of IRS, RSES10 and GHQ28.  

Education being one of the cornerstones of the Philippines, teachers may experience pressure and burnout from carrying the workload and responsibilities of being second to parents being the steppingstone for the development of young children. This study used a moderation analysis research design to examine if resilience moderates the relationship between work-related burnout and psychological well-being. Using a non-probability purposive sampling technique, over 233 Filipino public elementary school teachers from Quezon City, Philippines, participated. Results revealed a substantial negative relationship between psychological well-being and work-related burnout, and a positive relationship exists between resilience and psychological well-being. Furthermore, linear regression analysis showed that work-related burnout negatively predicted psychological well-being. Moreover, this study found that resilience does not moderate the association between work-related burnout and psychological well-being among public elementary school teachers.

Acquiring mastery in reading is considered one of the primary academic skills during the early years of elementary school. Additionally, attaining proficiency in reading during the early grades of elementary school serves as a strong predictor for future academic achievements and overall success in life. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the effect of several linguistic and cognitive variables on decoding abilities in the Bosnian language. The sample consisted of 153 children in the 2nd to 5th grades of elementary school. To assess decoding abilities, we employed tasks involving reading real words and non-words (pseudowords). The key predictors for both tasks included phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming of letters, working memory, and processing speed. Both models accounted for approximately 64% of the variance in the scores, signifying a substantial advancement compared to existing models of reading in the Bosnian language. The results of this study may contribute to the development of targeted and effective reading interventions in early elementary education.

The lives and learning experiences of high school students are increasingly intertwined with online activities. With the global trend of Education 4.0, equipping students with digital skills is essential, including the capacity for online social-emotional skills. Someone with social-emotional skills knows how to turn social media into a useful tool, providing opportunities for personal development. This study focuses on developing social-emotional competence for high school students in the context of the Education 4.0 trend. The project has developed a learning program consisting of 6 common social-emotional skill themes for both virtual and real environments and implemented a test on 34 students. Using experimental evaluation methods, classroom observation, and quantitative methods were employed to assess the effectiveness of the program. The results indicate a significant improvement in students' social-emotional competence, with an average score post-experiment of 3.7397. Our experimental model also achieved 63.6% of CASEL criteria for organizing social-emotional competence. Therefore, the study has strengthened the findings and achievements in the development of social-emotional competence training in the fields of educational psychology in Vietnam.

The PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX-GBG) is a school-based intervention shown to enhance student self-regulation, encourage prosocial behavior, and curb challenging behaviors. However, little is understood about students’ perspectives on the intervention. In this study, we conducted a survey and semi-structured interviews with 3rd-grade students in Sweden to examine their feelings and attitudes towards PAX-GBG. Thematic analysis revealed five themes: ‘enjoying our PAX-classroom’, ‘I can do this’, ‘it’s tough (sometimes)’, ‘making sense’, and ‘grease for the wheels’. Survey results showed mostly positive feelings towards PAX-GBG activities. Overall, the participants displayed positive attitudes towards PAX-GBG, indicating its appreciation and suitability for students. Moreover, many found the intervention effective in fostering appropriate behaviors and deterring inappropriate ones, consistent with previous quantitative studies.