This exploratory study is concerned about the extent to which a sample of 163 pre-school, primary and secondary Brazilian school teachers, expressed their opinion on how neuroscience might help their teaching and pupils´ learning. Evaluation instruments for Brazilian pupils were analysed. Two questionnaires were completed by the teachers. Results of a quantitative analysis indicated that in general teachers believe that neuroscience may contribute to the teaching and learning of their subject matter. An outline for an elective neuroscience and education course is presented. Educational implications are discussed.

Mathematics is one of the most challenging subjects for many students. A similar problem is faced by special needs students, such as students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Various instructional strategies are implemented by specialists to help ASD students understand mathematics in schools. To explore the impacts of an instructional strategy of mathematics on ASD students, the authors conducted a review of literature from 2011 to 2017 using various databases including ProQuest Digital Dissertations and Theses Full Text, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. A total of 39 articles were found. Most of the instructional strategy aimed to assist ASD students in solving mathematics problems. The implications of the study are also discussed in this literature review, which indicates that teachers need to use the appropriate instructional strategy to meet the needs of students with ASD and maximize their mathematics learning outcomes in schools.

Literacy ability is an individual's ability to reason, formulate, solve, and interpret mathematically to solve problems related to daily life. Executive function is a cognitive aspect that has a relation with mathematical literacy. One of some aspects that affects the low mathematical literacy ability is the aspect of executive function. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of mathematical literacy based on the executive function aspects of 15 years old students. A qualitative method with a descriptive approach is employed in this study. The present research applies interview guidelines, questionnaires, and students' mathematical literacy tests as the instruments. Research subjects are junior high school students in grade VIII from two different schools. The result shows that the students' executive function influences mathematical literacy ability. Students' mathematical literacy ability is not fully achieved by fulfilling all the indicators involved. Another aspect found in the research is the low critical thinking ability impacts the achievement of mathematical literacy ability indicators.

In this research, the influence of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on 9th grade students’ mathematics achievement is analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. A posttest only with control group design was used to compare the mathematics marks of 9th grade students from the previous school year (before the pandemic, control group) and the current school year (during the pandemic, experimental group). Seventy-three students from a public high school in Spain attending class on alternate days participated in the study. Three focus group sessions were held with students, and five semi-structured interviews were conducted—two with teachers and three with students’ families. Results show statistically significant differences in students’ mathematics achievement, with students enrolled in 9th grade the previous (pre-pandemic) year outscoring their peers currently enrolled in 9th grade (during the pandemic) by 22.17%. An overall negative effect size of Hedge’s g = -1.11 was reported. Although significant statistical differences between groups were reported for both male and female students, the effect was 42.31% larger for male students (Hedge’s g = -1.11) than for females (Hedge’s g = -0.78). The qualitative information supported the quantitative results. Changes in educational settings, students’ lack of motivation, monotony, and students’ level of responsibility were qualitatively reported as factors that may explain this phenomenon. The main conclusion of this study is that the COVID-19 pandemic may be significantly and negatively affecting 9th grade students’ mathematics achievement.

This study examined students’ calibration of performance in a sport skill in relation to their performance in an executive functions test. A total of 265 students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades participated in the study. The students took an executive functions test, and then they were tested on a basketball shooting test, after having provided a personal estimation regarding their performance. Based on students’ actual and estimated performance, the bias index was calculated to classify students into three categories; accurates, underestimators and overestimators, while the accuracy index (absolute values of the bias index) was also calculated. The results showed a positive but small magnitude relation between students’ scores in the executive functions test and their performance calibration, while accurate scored higher on the executive function test compared to over estimators and under estimators. These results are similar to those of previous studies with elementary school children that employed cognitive tasks and were discussed with reference to theoretical and empirical implications.

This study is qualitative with descriptive and aims to determine the process of generalizing the pattern image of high performance students based on the action, process, object, and schema (APOS) theory. The participants in this study were high performance eighth-grade Indonesian junior high school. Assignments and examinations to gauge mathematical aptitude and interviews were used to collect data for the study. The stages of qualitative analysis include data reduction, data presentation, and generating conclusions. This study showed that when given a sequence using a pattern drawing, the subjects used a number sequence pattern to calculate the value of the next term. Students in the action stage interiorize and coordinate by collecting prints from each sequence of numbers in the process stage. After that, they do a reversal so that at the object stage, students do encapsulation, then decapsulate by evaluating the patterns observed and validating the number series patterns they find. Students explain the generalization quality of number sequence patterns at the schema stage by connecting activities, processes, and objects from one concept to actions, processes, and things from other ideas. In addition, students carry out thematization at the schematic stage by connecting existing pattern drawing concepts with general sequences. From these results, it is recommended to improve the problem-solving skill in mathematical pattern problems based on problem-solving by high performance students', such as worksheets for students.

In recent years, educational robotics has gained ground in educational policy around the world, and primary education is no exception. However, there has not yet been a thorough synthesis of methodologically appropriate empirical research on the effects of robotics upon cognitive performance among primary school students, which this paper attempted to do. Following literature screening, a total of eight studies published between 2018 and 2022 with a sample size of 567 children met inclusion criteria and were meta-analyzed. Resultantly, a medium aggregate effect size in favor of robotics experiments emerged (standardized mean difference of .641), which was significantly higher compared to non-robotics learning (p <.01). No between-study heterogeneity was detected. Subgroup analysis revealed a slightly larger overall effect for interventions on first- to third-graders rather than those in grades 4-6. Additionally, the analysis indicates that in order to enhance cognitive abilities in primary students, robotics interventions should be no longer than four weeks and involve robot construction. Based on the findings, implications, and suggestions are outlined for future research and practice.

The primary objective of this study was to determine how students and teachers in primary schools view the classroom climate and its dimensions: (a) peer relationships and (b) student-teacher relationships. Additionally, the study aimed to explore the role of students' age (11-12 years old - 7th grade students vs. 14-15 years old - 9th grade primary school students) and gender on their perceptions of the school climate. Classroom climate was measured with the "Classroom Climate Questionnaire", which was completed by a total of 1,531 students (792; 51.6% female) and 348 teachers (296; 84.6% female). The findings of the study indicated that both students and teachers generally perceived the classroom climate as being relatively neutral to positive. However, teachers tended to report more positive classroom relationships compared to students. Furthermore, the study found no significant gender-based differences in how students perceived the classroom climate, peer relationships, and student-teacher interactions. However, differences were identified based on the age or grade level of the students. The results were discussed in the context of the students’ psychological development characteristics and the aspects of socio-emotional learning within school environments, also considering educational policies for achieving greater school quality.

Research in higher education has revealed a significant connection between executive functions (EF) and study success. Previous investigations have typically assessed EF using either neuropsychological tasks, which provide direct and objective measures of core EF such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, or self-report questionnaires, which offer indirect and subjective assessments. However, studies rarely utilize both assessment methods simultaneously despite their potential to offer complementary insights into EF. This study aims to evaluate the predictive capabilities of performance-based and self-reported EF measures on study success. Employing a retrospective cohort design, 748 first-year Applied Psychology students completed performance-based and self-report questionnaires to assess EF. Maximum likelihood correlations were computed for 474 students, with data from 562-586 first-year students subsequently subjected to hierarchical regression analysis, accommodating pairwise missing values. Our results demonstrate minimal overlap between performance-based and self-reported EF measures. Additionally, the model incorporating self-reported EF accounted for 13% of the variance in study success after one year, with the inclusion of performance-based EF raising this proportion to 16%. Self-reported EF assessments modestly predict study success. However, monitoring levels of self-reported EF could offer valuable insights for students and educational institutions, given that EF play a crucial role in learning. Additionally, one in five students reports experiencing significant EF difficulties, highlighting the importance of addressing EF concerns for learning and study success.

Sensory integration (SI)-based intervention programs aim to improve the motor performance of children with moderate autism spectrum disorder (MASD), which may contribute to the development of their gross and fine motor skills. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a SI-based training program in developing gross and fine motor skills in 70 children with MASD aged 6–9 years (M = 7.11, SD ± 1.19) and selected intentionally from a daycare center in Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia. The study used the quasi-experimental approach and followed the experimental design with two groups, which were randomly distributed and examined for equivalence. The study also used the Gross Motor Skills Scale (GMSS), the Fine Motor Skills Scale (FMSS), and the training program based on SI. The study found that the experimental group had significantly higher post-test scores in the GMSS and the FMSS than the control group, with these differences being statistically significant. However, no significant difference was observed between the post-test scores and the follow-up test scores within the experimental group, indicating stability in their performance over time. This indicates the effectiveness of the training program used in developing the targeted skills and the continuation of the training effect after the program’s application period. The study suggests that children should use SI-based training programs to enhance their motor skills.

With the introduction of the new curriculum, primary school Croatian fine arts teachers faced many challenges. The fundamental problem, the lack of school lessons, is highlighted by the challenges of implementing problem and project work and integrating technology into the teaching process. Therefore, it is important to organise activities where pupils use modern tools and media for high-quality educational purposes. The animation was chosen as a fine arts technique that can fulfil these requirements. Qualitative action research was conducted in city Split in the school year 2023/2024. The 5th and 8th grade pupils (125) and their fine arts teachers (3) participated in the research. A total of 75.23% of respondents were positive about the occasional introduction of technology into fine arts classes. After completing the fine arts project, 77.98% of pupils stated that they now have the knowledge and skills to create an animation themselves, while 77% of pupils consider their digital stories to be interesting and original. All three fine arts teachers cite a lack of continuity due to the small number of lessons as a shortcoming. The results point to poor material conditions: overheating of old projectors, low-quality tablets, poor internet connection and lack of power sockets. The research has shown that there are discrepancies between the prescribed theoretical requirements for learning outcomes and the possibilities for their practical realisation. As a result, teachers need to take a keen interest and receive additional training to ensure that the projects designed are in line with the requirements of the curriculum.