Academic Development Research Articles

Civic reasoning depends on transcendent thinking: Implications of adolescent brain development for SEL

Accumulating evidence from developmental social-affective neuroscience and educational research reveals striking affordances for adolescents’ academic, psychosocial and neural development of transcendent thinking—the disposition to integrate concrete, context-specific thinking and emotions into deliberations on the abstract, systems-level, ethical and personal implications of information, ideas, and skills. Here, we highlight the coordinated psychological and neural processes by which adolescents leverage transcendent thinking for civic reasoning. From qualitative field data, we argue that civic reasoning in the context of academic learning supports the coordination of conceptual understanding with intellectual agency, identity and communal orientation, leading youth toward process-oriented, rather than outcome-oriented, approaches to learning. From longitudinal interview and neuroimaging data, we argue that civic reasoning drives developmental coordination among brain networks involved in agency, self-awareness, and consciousness; internal reflection, abstraction and narrative; emotional feelings; memory; executive functioning and attention. These brain changes longitudinally predict resilience, identity development, and wellbeing (Gotlieb et al., 2024b). This transdisciplinary research underscores the power of civic reasoning for adolescents’ healthy development into young adulthood, and the benefits of schooling designed to center civic reasoning and personal reflection. In today’s globalized society, civic reasoning may be among the most important core social-emotional dispositions for youth and community thriving. Impact statementCivic reasoning is among the most important capacities youth must develop to sustain a functioning and equitable democratic society, and hence should be among the central aims of education. New research is demonstrating that adolescents’ dispositions toward civic reasoning, and the emotionally motivated transcendent thinking that undergirds it, are associated with a cascade of beneficial brain and psychosocial developmental effects that extend into young adulthood. Organizing adolescent education around civic reasoning and reflection could provide a powerful opportunity to support youths’ deep scholarly learning and psychosocial development in a coordinated way.

Academic Development of Chinese Social Psychology: A Citation Analysis of Social Psychology Articles Published by Chinese Scholars During 2006 to 2015

Chinese social psychology developed vigorously, and its scientific achievement showed explosive growth from 2000 to 2015. Based on typical Chinese social psychology articles published between 2006 and 2015, the development trend of this discipline was investigated in this article by means of citation analysis. There were 61,284 references in 1,982 typical Chinese social psychology essays, which were retrieved from the database of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Web of Science (WoS) and general literature database. The results were as follows: (a) The primary types of journal citation in the discipline of Chinese social psychology were English journals rather than Chinese journals; (b) The research hotspot of social psychology in China, as reflected by the top cited authors, involved both indigenous psychology and social psychology of culture; (c) The literature obsolescence rate of Chinese citations was declining and much lower than before; (d) Collaborations increased in Chinese social psychology articles, but remained significantly lower than collaborations in English articles.

Developing a safe learning environment in primary-level innovative schools in the Czech Republic

ABSTRACT This study examined how teachers in the Czech primary schooly create a safe learning environment, and identified key strategies they employ to foster a supportive and respectful classroom climate. Particular emphasis was placed on methodological analysis due to new requirements set by the Ministry of Education, which, within the new Competency Framework for Teaching Graduates, demands that teachers be capable of effectively establishing a safe educational setting. Innovative schools serve as crucial sources of inspiration for fulfilling this competence, as they implement progressive pedagogical approaches and methods that can be effectively adapted and applied across various educational contexts. The research was conducted through observations of teachers during classroom instruction and notes taken in field journals using a log. The results revealed that teachers utilise participatory rule-making, promote cooperation over competition, engage in open and non-violent communication, and adopt an individualised approach to teaching. These practices not only contribute to a safe classroom climate but also support the overall personal and academic development of students. The research also uncovered challenges faced by teachers, including maintaining discipline in an environment with high student autonomy and diversifying educational needs. Teachers overcome these challenges with flexible and expert approaches that support safe and inclusive education.

Impact of Parent Interest in Mathematics and Students Mathematics Interest on Student Mathematics Achievement

A student's academic and cognitive development is greatly influenced by their mathematics education, and the importance of parental participation in promoting this interest cannot be estimated. The study aims to evaluate the impact of parental interest in mathematics and student’s mathematics interest on students’ mathematics achievement. The study employed quantitative research method with the used of structured questionnaire for collecting data. The sample of the study comprised of 200 first-year students from four selected senior high school in Ghana-Kumasi. The study findings revealed that, parent interest and student interest in mathematics had a statistically significant direct positive impact on students’ mathematics achievement. Moreover, there relationship between parental interest and students’ interest in mathematics had a positive effect and was statistically significant.

Implementation Strategies of the Independent Learning Curriculum in Achieving Character Education Competencies in Islamic Religious Education at School

The Independent Learning Curriculum is a new education system designed to provide freedom for students to develop their unique potential, both academically and personally. Unlike traditional curricula, which often limit the scope of learning to a predetermined structure, the Independent Learning Curriculum allows flexibility in teaching methods and learning outcomes. This study aims to describe the Implementation Strategy of the Independent Learning Curriculum in Achieving Character Education Competencies in Islamic Religious Education at School. This research uses a qualitative approach, specifically the literature study method. Various sources, including academic journals, books, and other scholarly works related to character education and the Independent Learning Curriculum, were reviewed to develop insights into strategies for achieving Islamic character education. The results of this study highlight the importance of integrating character education into all aspects of the curriculum. Effective strategies include incorporating moral and ethical lessons into all subjects, embedding character-building activities in intracurricular and extracurricular programs, and ensuring that teachers are role models through their behavior. In addition, the findings suggest that character education should be part of a long-term and continuous process that involves training and habituation, thus encouraging students to internalize noble values over time. The implications of this study are very important for schools that want to implement character education in the Independent Learning Curriculum. Schools should prioritize the development of a comprehensive character education strategy, which includes careful planning in the syllabus, lesson plans and in-school activities. In addition, educators should balance students' academic and moral development.

Therapeutic targeting of senescent cells in the CNS.

Senescent cells accumulate throughout the body with advanced age, diseases and chronic conditions. They negatively impact health and function of multiple systems, including the central nervous system (CNS). Therapies that target senescent cells, broadly referred to as senotherapeutics, recently emerged as potentially important treatment strategies for the CNS. Promising therapeutic approaches involve clearing senescent cells by disarming their pro-survival pathways with 'senolytics'; or dampening their toxic senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) using 'senomorphics'. Following the pioneering discovery of first-generation senolytics dasatinib and quercetin, dozens of additional therapies have been identified, and several promising targets are under investigation. Although potentially transformative, senotherapies are still in early stages and require thorough testing to ensure reliable target engagement, specificity, safety and efficacy. The limited brain penetrance and potential toxic side effects of CNS-acting senotherapeutics pose challenges for drug development and translation to the clinic. This Review assesses the potential impact of senotherapeutics for neurological conditions by summarizing preclinical evidence, innovative methods for target and biomarker identification, academic and industry drug development pipelines and progress in clinical trials.

Interpersonal and individual effects of an app-based Christian and Islamic heart meditation intervention in healthy adults: protocol of a stratified randomised controlled trial

BackgroundThe academic development and widespread adoption of meditation practices for well-being and therapy have predominantly focused on secularised adaptations of Buddhist and Hindu techniques. This study aims to expand the field by investigating Christian and Islamic meditation that emphasize the spiritual significance of the heart through elements of visualisation and recitation. It compares the effects of spiritual heart-centred meditation with mindfulness meditation and a waitlist control, focusing on dimensions of social functioning, psychophysiology, cognition, and mental health.MethodThis study employs a stratified 3-arm randomised controlled method with mixed-method repeated measures across three assessment time points: before intervention (T1), after an 8-week intervention (T2), and at a 3-month follow up (T3). The three conditions include spiritual meditation (either Christian or Islamic), mindfulness meditation (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – MBSR), and a waitlist. Participants will be stratified into Christian and Muslim samples and randomly allocated to the spiritual meditation, MBSR, or waitlist control conditions. Importantly, participants assigned to the spiritual meditation condition will be matched to the spiritual meditation program corresponding to their religion. The intervention will be administered through a mobile phone app with daily 20-minute guided meditation sessions for eight weeks. Primary outcomes pertain to the domain of interpersonal functioning, focusing on prosociality, forgiveness, empathy, and perspective taking. Secondary outcomes include physiology: pain tolerance, pain intensity, stress reactivity assessed via heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), psychophysiological reactivity associated with a forgiveness task as measured through HR and HRV, attention (alerting, orienting, and executive attention networks), and mental health (stress, depression, anxiety, subjective well-being, positive and negative affect).DiscussionThis trial aims to test the effects of an app-based Christian and Islamic meditation, compared to secular mindfulness and a waitlist, using a randomised controlled trial. If the results yield positive outcomes, this study will support the efficacy of these contemplations, offering practitioners a way to enhance their well-being within their religious framework.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06136676. Registered on 18 November 2023.https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06136676.

The relationship between HE teachers' mission and teaching approach: Interaction inspiring enthusiasm as the basis for building knowledge and commitment to the profession

AbstractThe fundamental role of higher education is to help students learn to cope in a constantly changing and uncertain world. The key to this is to support the development of their agency and commitment to learning. Although technology is the main tool of knowledge transfer, according to the OECD, it is teachers who represent the values of their field and that of knowledge and learning.Since academic development is a relatively recent topic in the Hungarian literature, the present research aims to explore teachers' role interpretation, goals, missions, approaches to teaching, and their commitment to academic development at one of Hungary's leading business universities, the Budapest Business University (BBU). The study is based on 33 semi-structured interviews recorded at BBU involving 33 teachers of economics-related subjects in three faculties of the university. The interview transcripts were analysed by thematic analysis.The results show that participants have markedly different teaching approaches, and the interrelationships between their objectives, missions and academic development can be seen as constituting a system. Finally, the potential interrelationships among the different themes were examined. The findings show that the teachers' goals and missions are strongly related, although more affective factors can be identified in relation to missions. These affective factors include inspiring enthusiasm and building partnership and mutual learning. In line with this, most participants adopt a teacher/student interaction strategy, only few cases of student focus were identified.

Assessing Efficiency in Education: The Imperative of Curriculum-Based Measurements

This article explores the limitations of traditional maximum performance tests in psychological assessments within educational settings, highlighting the need for efficiency assessments to better understand students’ real-world capabilities. While maximum performance tests like IQ and achievement tests reveal peak abilities under optimal conditions, they often fail to reflect students’ proficiency and speed, crucial for classroom success. Efficiency assessments, such as Curriculum-Based Measurements (CBMs), provide valuable insights by evaluating both accuracy and speed, offering a more practical measure of skill mastery. By integrating these assessments, psychologists can more accurately identify areas of need, inform targeted interventions, and monitor progress, ensuring tailored support for each student’s unique learning profile. This comprehensive approach enhances academic development, ensuring that students receive the necessary support to thrive in educational settings.

Mentorship for early career academics in a long-term problem- and project-based university academic development program in Denmark: views of subject and pedagogy mentors

ABSTRACT The study explored the viewpoints of two groups of mentors – subject and pedagogy – on their roles in a 12-month problem-based learning (PBL) academic development program at a Danish university. Q methodology analysis from 49 mentors revealed consensus on certain generic characteristics of good mentorship, namely active listening, constructive feedback, and mutual respect. Significantly distinguished collective opinions on good mentorship were identified through three factors: 1) providing advice using one’s own teaching experience, 2) probing mentee self-reflection and responsibility, and 3) co-creating and mediating. While most pedagogy mentors were loaded on Factor 2, emphasizing a social-constructivist approach centred on mentees, subject mentors’ views differed across all three distinct collective opinions. Factor 1 participants consisted mainly of subject mentors who have had no pedagogical background, with some reporting similar views to pedagogy mentors. Factor 3 included five female subject mentors who highlighted the importance of knowledge co-creation, reciprocity, and peer learning – an approach called for in the mentorship literature. The results suggest that structured mentorship preparation programs are needed, in addition to professional learning communities, for pedagogical and subject mentors to work collaboratively.

Tutors' perspective on the impact of their anatomy tutoring experience and ethics of body donation.

To explore the future of former anatomy tutors, their perception of the impact that the anatomy near-peer teaching (NPT) program have had on them, in terms of academic performance, professional development, personal growth, long-term anatomical knowledge, and views on body donor ethics. Additionally, we compared their academic performance with non-tutor peers in terms of ranking at the National Qualifying Examination (NQE). A voluntary survey was emailed to all anatomy tutors from 2005 to 2024, using an online Google Forms questionnaire including closed and open-ended questions across four themes. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to compare former tutors' NQE rankings to their peers. Forty-seven out of 48 tutors responded. Tutors reported a positive program impact, including improvements in technical skills (100%), teamwork (97.9%), communication (89.4%), and organizational skills (76.6%), and good long-term anatomical knowledge retention (85.7%). Dissection on body donors was deemed essential for anatomy learning while shaping professional and ethical values. Of the 36 residents/specialists, 38.9% ranked in the top 10% at the NQE, with a statistically significant higher rank than their peers (p = 0.0011), and 100% obtained their desired specialty. This results suggest that the anatomy NPT program significantly enhanced tutors' academic performance, technical skills, personal and professional development, and was useful to foster a positive perception of dissection on body donors and reinforced the importance of anatomical knowledge in clinical practice.

Pediatric Firearm Deaths and State Policies on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

Objective: To determine whether state-level SEAD policies are associated with pediatric firearm homicides and suicides. Summary Background Data: Firearm deaths continue to rise among United States (US) children. School-based efforts to promote social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) may be a means to reduce such deaths, but state-level policies vary and the effect on firearm deaths is unknown. Methods: We used Education Trust data regarding state-level SEAD policies, averaging 6 domains to create a cumulative score and investigating each domain individually. The primary outcomes were pediatric firearm homicides and suicides, using covariates from the American Community Survey and State Firearm Laws database. We mapped SEAD policies and pediatric death rates. Poisson regression was used to investigate associations between SEAD policies and pediatric firearm deaths. Results: Annual statewide pediatric firearm deaths ranged from 0.85 to 7.81 per 100,000; homicides from 0.64 to 5.69, and suicides from 0.21 to 4.75. Univariate analyses demonstrated associations between SEAD scores and both homicides (P=0.003) and suicides (P=0.032), but these were nonsignificant after adjustment. Professional Development and Engagement policies were associated with lower rates of pediatric firearm homicides after adjustment (IRR=0.33, P=0.004 and IRR=0.46, P=0.014, respectively). There was no significant association between any domain and pediatric firearm suicide. Conclusion: Professional Development and Student, Family and Community Engagement policies are associated with lower rates of pediatric firearm homicides, however, there was no significant association between pediatric firearm deaths and summary SEAD measures after adjustment. Certain SEAD policies may be helpful in decreasing pediatric firearm deaths.

Personal Attributes Contributing to Chinese EFL Students' Well‐being: Uncovering the Role of Mindfulness and Grit

ABSTRACTThe role of students' well‐being in their academic development and growth has been reported in the literature. Nonetheless, most of the previous studies have revolved around the predictive role of interpersonal factors in students' well‐being, and the influence of personal factors is overlooked. To bridge this gap, this study probed the role of two personal attributes, namely mindfulness and grit, in English students' well‐being. To accomplish this, three valid questionnaires were sent to 623 Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) students chosen from different language institutes in China. Following that, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were implemented to analyse the potential associations between mindfulness, grit, and well‐being, as well as the role of mindfulness and grit in Chinese students' well‐being. The results demonstrated that Chinese students' well‐being was tightly associated with their mindfulness and grit. Students' grit and mindfulness could uniquely predict 59% and 64% of students' well‐being changes, respectively. The complexity and dynamic nature of positive emotions and personal attributes may also be reasons for the obtained predicting role. It is asserted that L2 practitioners should strike a balance between personality‐related factors and psychological ones to facilitate their students' well‐being.

The Role of Psychosocial and Contextual Factors in Academic Talent Development: In Search of General and Specific Developmental Processes

Empirical testing of talent development models or contextual developmental models of giftedness is enhanced by longitudinal research that considers contextual factors as well as individual/psychological factors. Relying on findings from the longitudinal TALENT project in Flanders, we aimed to shed light on the role of social-contextual factors (i.e., relationships with teachers, peers, and parents) and psychological (i.e., motivational) factors in the developmental process of transforming high cognitive ability into high achievement levels. Also, we aimed to gain insight into which developmental processes are specific to high-ability students and which are generalizable across ability levels. The findings provided longitudinal evidence for the key role of social-contextual and motivational resources in the process of academic talent development. Overall, they call for further integration of giftedness models with general developmental theories and elaboration of the role of social-contextual factors.

The Impact of Parenting, Online Game Usage, and Peer Interaction to Elementary School Students' Academic Achievement

This research explores the impact of parenting, online game usage, and peer interaction on elementary school (SD) student’s academic achievement. Various factors often affect academic achievement, including environment, family, digital habits, and social relationships. With the development of technology and the changing dynamics of family, it is vital to understand how these factors mutually interact and affect the student’s academic development. Type research descriptive associative explaining​ the extent of the impact of parenting, online game usage, and peer interaction on elementary school student’s academic achievement in Lubuk Linggau. This research uses a sample of 150 respondents from 3000 elementary school students in Lubuk Linggau. Path analysis uses the SPSS program to process data. The research results show that parenting, online game usage, and peer interaction significantly affect elementary school students' academic achievement. However,​ there are research findings that parents do not affect academic achievement, as mediated by peer interactions. These results show that parents must implement pattern-supportive care​ for student development​, limit excessive online game usage, and monitor interaction with their students' social lives to ensure positive academic achievement

Supporting Indigenous Graduate Student Health Research Capacity: Mentorship through a Provincial Health Research Network Environment in British Columbia,

The British Columbia Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (BC NEIHR), funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, is an Indigenous-led network that supports the research development and knowledge sharing of Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations and Indigenous graduate students in BC. To understand how we impacted the health research journey of Indigenous graduate students, we conducted a critical analysis of our annual evaluation reports and offer a reflective narrative of our operations. In this article, we share our Indigenous mentorship model and describe how we supported and enhanced Indigenous-led research among Indigenous graduate students in BC by: addressing common challenges related to financial costs of pursuing health research; prioritizing cultural and land-based learning opportunities; providing exceptional academic and professional development opportunities; and promoting Indigenous cultural safety, equity, and self-determination by creating systems-level change through partnerships. We conclude that as we work toward systems change, the BC NEIHR offers a promising approach towards enhancing Indigenous health research capacity through mentorship.

New challenges for higher education: self-regulated learning in blended learning contexts

IntroductionThe study on self-regulated learning in blended learning (BL) environments highlights its crucial relevance for both the academic development of students and the evolution of contemporary educational methods. This research focused on conceptualizing self-regulated learning in university contexts with a BL modality, using direct student perceptions.MethodsAn inductive qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed. Responses from 312 undergraduate students who had completed their first or second year were analyzed; 65 participated in 10 focus groups (two per area of knowledge according to OECD classification), and 247 participated through a survey. Descriptive analysis was used to obtain a range of content and meanings associated with students’ perceptions of SRL-BL.ResultsThe study conceptualized SRL-BL as a process where students structure, monitor, and evaluate their learning using self-reflection and digital technologies, with particular emphasis on planning. Significant differences were identified between SRL-BL and traditional SRL; in face-to-face education, teacher supervision is greater, while in SRL-BL, students take on more responsibility and autonomy, developing self-management skills. Although SRL-BL fosters autonomy and responsibility, students face obstacles such as distractions from social media and leisure technologies, which affect their concentration and study planning.DiscussionIt is essential to address the new challenges students face to maintain a high level of SRL in Blended Learning environments (SRL-BL) and the strategies they use to overcome them. The need to update the concept of self-regulated learning (SRL) in the current educational context, influenced by technological advances, is concluded.

Literacy development in early children

Literacy, which encompasses the process of reading and writing, is essential for children's cognitive, academic and social development. Introducing these skills at an early age, generally between 0 and 6 years old, is decisive because it forms the basis for future learning. Through literacy, children develop their vocabulary, reading comprehension and communication skills, which also reinforces their critical thinking and creativity. The objective of the research is to determine the importance of the early development of literacy in the first years of life, the result was that literacy is part of the academic base for the following years of early childhood, boys and girls learn to expand their imagination and also lose stage fright when performing a socio-cultural or artistic presentation, highlighting at the same time their interest in reading and writing, improving throughout life.

Empowering parents of students with and without learning difficulties to collaborate with schools: how are family–school partnerships related to parents’ motivational beliefs?

ABSTRACT Although parental involvement is known to be crucial for the academic and social development of students, especially those with learning difficulties, little is known about the relationship of schools’ invitations with parents’ motivational beliefs. A sample of N = 881 German parents of secondary school students, of which N = 119 were identified as parents of children with learning difficulties, participated in the study. Structural equation models were analysed to examine how different aspects of family–school partnerships are related to parental motivational beliefs. Our findings suggest that a welcoming culture and the quality of parent-teacher collaboration are positively associated with higher parental motivation, regardless of students’ learning difficulties. These results highlight the need for inclusive secondary schools to foster not only individual contacts between teachers and parents but also a positive and welcoming school culture.

Introducing patient stories in health sciences education: the learning experiences of students

BackgroundIt has been advocated that the development of medical school curricula must be informed by students, doctors in training, educators, employers, other health and social care professionals and patients, families and carers. Patients are widely employed to teach clinical and interpersonal skills, and while recognised as crucial in health education, they have mostly been offered a passive role. We assessed the impact of patients contributing personal illness narratives in the master curriculum of allied health care professionals on students’ learning experiences.MethodsWe designed a module (Patient and Society) for a master’s degree programme in Health Sciences at the University of Southern Denmark in collaboration with six patients. The patients contributed to the teaching by sharing and discussing their personal illness narrative. At the end of the module, as part of the exam, we asked the students to reflect on the patients’ contribution to the module and how this affected their learning experiences. The 500-word exam responses of 29 students were analysed, in collaboration with six patients, using thematic analysis.ResultsIncluding patients’ illness narratives lifted students’ academic learning, and their personal and professional development. The stories brought theoretical concepts to life; it helped the students to obtain, retain, and apply academic knowledge. Actively and uninterrupted listening to patients’ illness experiences promoted empathy and critical reflection on clinical practice. Faced with the impact of a disease on a person’s life, seeing the healthcare system through a patient’s lens made students reflect critically on the medical positivist model ruling the health care system focused on just fixing the medical problem with very little room for the illness experience.ConclusionOur analyses support previous findings indicating that patient narratives are a powerful tool to achieve academic and professional development. Working with patients in health education has the potential to work towards a more inclusive epistemological stance in the health care system and health research.