Category: Social and Motivational Outcomes

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Programme Evaluation Secondary School Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Which format was more effective at alleviating anxiety: face-to-face or web-based intervention?

Shao and colleagues evaluated the impact of the DNA-V program, culturally adapted for Chinese adolescents, on reducing their anxiety. The DNA-V (Discover, Notice, Advise-Value) program combines mindfulness-based social-emotional learning (SEL) and cognitive behavioral strategies to enhance psychological flexibility and lower anxiety. Cognitive defusion is considered highly related to psychological flexibility, so that the study particularly examined cognitive fusion—where individuals are entangled in their thoughts, potentially increasing psychological distress—as a mediating factor in anxiety reduction.

The researchers randomly divided six eighth-grade classes from a Beijing urban middle school into three groups, each receiving different interventions: a face-to-face DNA-V group (40 students), a web-based DNA-V group (56 students), and an active control group undergoing a positive psychology program (50 students). Over six weeks, the treatment groups attended a 40-minute session weekly, with the face-to-face group in a classroom and the web-based group via an online game format.

Students completed the Chinese Secondary School Students Anxiety scale and Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire before the program (T1), immediately after (T2), and two months post-intervention (T3). Results from a repeated measures ANOVA indicated that only the face-to-face group showed a significant reduction in anxiety and cognitive fusion scores from T1 to T3 and from T2 to T3. No significant changes were observed in the web-based or control groups over time.

Further analysis used a mediation model to explore the underlying mechanism of the DNV-A intervention. Findings revealed that the face-to-face DNA-V intervention directly reduced anxiety (difference between T3 and T1) without the mediating role of decreased cognitive fusion (difference between T2 and T1). The web-based intervention showed neither direct nor indirect effects on anxiety.

These findings suggest that the culturally adapted face-to-face DNA-V program could be an effective school-based intervention for reducing anxiety among adolescents, although cognitive fusion did not mediate this effect.

 

Source: Shao, S., Zhang, Y., Yang, M., Li, C., Zhao, R., Liu, Z., Wu, M., Liu, Y., Zhu, Z., & Cui, L. (2024). The effectiveness of the DNA-V program on reducing anxiety among Chinese adolescents: Outcomes of the face-to-face and web-based versions. Journal of School Psychology, 106, 101357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101357… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Effectiveness of flipped classrooms on student outcomes

Flipped classroom refers to an instructional approach where students first learn new material through videos outside of class, and then use class time for reviewing the content, hands-on activities, and deeper learning.

A meta-analysis conducted by Li and colleagues examined the effects of flipped classrooms on K–12 student outcomes. The authors included randomized and quasi-experimental studies with more than ten students in which flipped classrooms were compared to regular teacher practice. After excluding the studies that did not meet the criteria, 129 studies were included in the review.

The average effect sizes after excluding outliers were +0.53 for student performance, +0.56 for cognitive outcomes, and +0.46 for affective outcomes. Due to the high variability in effects between studies, the authors examined which characteristics are factors (e.g., duration, teacher training) that moderate the effects of flipped classrooms. Region was found to be a significant moderator, with a larger effect in low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. Considering methodological characteristics, the authors found that it is more effective when the same instructor teaches consistently than when instructors change during an intervention. In addition, outcomes that include a wide range of tests show smaller effect sizes than those that use more specific measures, such as a unit test.

Overall, the characteristics related to educational context and research methodology explained a substantial portion of the variability in the overall effects.

 

Source: Li, S., Fu, W., Liu, X., & Hwang, G.-J. (2024). Effectiveness of flipped classrooms for k–12 students: Evidence from a three-level meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 00346543241261732. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241261732… Read the rest

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Primary School Education Secondary School Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

The fadeout effect: Unpacking the durability of educational interventions

Although educational interventions play a pivotal role in fostering a broad range of student skills, their sustained impact often wanes as time progresses, prompting a deeper exploration into their long-term efficacy. Hart and colleagues conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis, examining the long-term effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at improving cognitive and social-emotional skills in children and adolescents. The study drew on 86 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), incorporating data from 56,662 participants, to determine whether the gains in social-emotional skills were more persistent than those in cognitive skills. The research included studies from eight previous meta-analyses and aimed to overcome the methodological limitations of earlier works by focusing solely on RCTs and outcomes consistently measured across different time points.

The analysis revealed that both cognitive and social-emotional skills demonstrated a significant fadeout in their effects over time. Initial post-test improvements did not persist strongly at follow-up assessments, challenging the expectation that social-emotional skills would endure more robustly than cognitive skills. The study found similar rates of conditional persistence for both types of skills in the short term (6-12 months). However, cognitive skills exhibited slightly greater persistence at longer follow-up intervals (1-2 years).

This meta-analysis highlights the critical need for educational programs that not only focus on short-term gains but also address strategies to maintain these improvements over time. The findings suggest that without sustained intervention, both cognitive and social-emotional skills are subject to significant declines, which calls into question the long-term efficacy of current educational interventions in altering developmental trajectories. The results also emphasize the importance of designing future educational programs with a focus on long-lasting impact, a challenge that remains central to educational research and practice.

 

Source (Open Access): Hart, Emma R., Drew H. Bailey, Sha Luo, Pritha Sengupta, and Tyler W. Watts. (2024). Fadeout and persistence of intervention impacts on social-emotional and cognitive skills in children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review of randomized controlled trials. (EdWorkingPaper: 23-782). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/7J8S-DY98… Read the rest

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Primary School Education Programme Evaluation Social and Motivational Outcomes

Impact of Positive Growth program on rural children in China

Compared to their urban counterparts, children in rural China face greater risks of anxiety, depression, and other psychosocial issues. Left behind children in rural areas when parents have migrated for work are especially vulnerable. Cultivating social emotional competence (SEC) has been demonstrated as a promotive and protective factor against such difficulties. Fu and colleagues conducted a quasi-experimental study investigating the impact of a school-based social emotional learning program on 5th graders (mean age = 11 years) in Chongqing. The Positive Growth curriculum developed based on the CASEL framework by Rici foundation, focused on four components of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills.

The study involved two rural schools (n=648) receiving eight-session intervention from March 2022 to June 2022, delivered by trained school teachers using manuals, textbook, materials for activities, and videos of the adapted curriculum. Two matched schools that served as control group (n=599) followed the regular curriculum including didactic moral lessons. Students self-reported SEC using the Chinese version of Washoe County School District Social and Emotional Competency Assessments (WCSD-SECAs) before and after the intervention. The difference in SEC scores between post- and pre-intervention was used to assess the impact of the program. The results are listed below.

  • The treatment group outperformed the control group in overall SEC (ES=+0.21), self-awareness (ES=+0.34), social awareness (ES=+0.25), and relationship skills (ES = +0.19). No significant differences emerged for self-management or responsible decision making.
  • The program benefited boys’ overall SEC but not girls’.
  • Children of work-away parents showed significant gains in overall SEC, but children with non-migrating parents did not.

This preliminary study demonstrates that adapting an evidence-based Western SEC framework may yield positive outcomes for rural Chinese students, especially those left behind by migrant parents. As the authors acknowledge, the brief intervention period may not capture skills cultivated over the long term. Future studies are required to examine long-term outcomes from lengthier intervention.

 

Source: Fu, L., Zhang, Z., Yang, Y., & Curtis McMillen, J. (2024). Acceptability and preliminary impact of a school-based SEL program for rural children in China: A quasi-experimental study. Children and Youth Services Review, 160, 107579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107579… Read the rest

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Achievement Primary School Education Secondary School Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being

Student engagement is one of the key indicators of student motivation and student outcomes. Wong and colleagues conducted a systemic review including 137 studies to examine how student engagement (i.e., affective, behavioral, and cognitive) is measured and its correlation with academic achievement and subjective well-being (SWB). The review found following subtypes among included studies:

  • Affective engagement: divided into (a) relational engagement, (b) affective engagement in school, and (c) affective engagement in learning.
  • Behavioral engagement: categorized into (a) participatory and (b) effortful engagement.
  • Cognitive engagement included (a) motivational, (b) self-regulatory, and (c) effortful engagement, the latter overlapped with behavioral engagement due to same indicators.

The meta-analysis of 533 effect sizes from 110 studies revealed a moderate correlation between student engagement and academic performance (r=+0.33). Behavioral engagement had the largest correlation (r=+0.39), followed by cognitive (r=+0.31) and affective (r=+0.26). Findings of meta-regression with multiple moderators revealed:

  • Teacher reported engagement has a stronger association with academic performance than student reported measures.
  • School grades showed a higher effect size than standardized test scores.
  • Correlation was stronger when academic achievement was measured in the same year as student engagement.
  • Subtype of affective engagement was a significantly moderator, with affective in learning activities showing the largest effect size (r=+0.33). Participatory behavioral engagement also showed a stronger association (r=+0.40) compared to effortful engagement (r=+0.38).

A separate meta-analysis of 158 effect sizes across 18 studies found a significant correlation between student engagement and SWB (r=+0.35). Affective engagement showed the largest effect size (r=+0.40) compared to cognitive (r=+0.35) and behavioral (r=+0.31). Association was significantly smaller when SWB was measured as negative affect (r=-0.20), compared to positive affect (r=+0.36) or life satisfaction (r=+0.39).

The findings emphasize the importance of precisely defining and measuring the subtypes of engagement to avoid overgeneralization and improve conceptual clarity. The study encouraged scholars to refine and clarify the operational definitions used in engagement research.

Source: Wong, Z. Y., Liem, G. A. D., Chan, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2024). Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 48–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000833… Read the rest

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Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Do teacher-student relationships associate with executive function performance of a child?

Research findings indicate that executive function (EF) is crucial for children’s learning and academic achievement. Moreover, the development of EF is closely related to environmental factors such as parental and educational support. Xu and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the associations between EF and teacher-student relationships (TSR) at the dyadic level (one-on-one) and classroom level, and explore the roles of cultural characteristics as moderators.

A total of 84 studies were included, involving participants attending regular preschool or primary education across 18 cultural regions. About 50% of the studies originated from the US and 25% including at least one non-Western sample population. Guided by Hofstede’s classifications, the authors assigned scores of cultural factors (individualism, power distance, and agentic goals) to each region. The results of the three-level meta-analysis were as follows:

  • A significant correlation was found between dyadic TSR and EF (r = +0.25). Regarding dyadic TSR subdimensions, positive effects were observed for closeness (r = +0.18), while negative effects were noted for conflict (r = -0.26) and dependency (r = -0.17). Classroom level TSR showed a rather weak link with EF (overall r = +0.09), with classroom management showing the strongest association (r = +0.14), followed by emotional support (r=+0.09) and instructional support (r=+0.08).
  • Culturally, individualism significantly moderated the TSR-EF link at both dyadic and classroom level negatively, indicating that the higher the degrees of individualism, the smaller the TSR-EF correlation. Power distance (refers to the extent to which individuals with less power in the organisation) only moderated the classroom-level TSR-EF link positively.
  • Several significant moderators were identified. Adult-reported EF measures yielded larger effect sizes compared to direct assessments. Hot EF (emotion and motivation-related) showed a stronger link with closeness than cool EF (cognitive-related). SES enhanced the classroom TSR-EF link.

Notably, after taking into account for the effect of EF instrument, the extent of individualism no longer moderated the dyadic TSR-EF link significantly. Similarly, after considering the type of EF instrument, the closeness-EF association showed no significant difference between hot EF and cool EF.

Source: Xu, C., Huizinga, M., Tekelia Ekubagewargies, D., Soetaert, J., Van Den Noortgate, W., & Baeyens, D. (n.d.). The relation between teacher–student interaction and executive function performance in children: A cross-cultural meta-analysis. Educational Psychologist, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2024.2315527… Read the rest