Tag: Meta-analysis

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Maths and Science Learning Primary School Education

Inhibitory Control and Math Skills: What’s the Connection?

A recent three-level meta-analysis by Zhu and colleagues synthesized 241 effect sizes from 86 samples of primary school students (mean age = 8.67 years) from studies conducted between 2001 to 2023 to investigate how two types of inhibitory control relate to various math domains (e.g., numerical, arithmetic, logical reasoning, general). The researchers distinguished between two main types of inhibitory control: (1) Interference Inhibition involves filtering out distracting information, like resisting the bias that a larger denominator means a larger fraction; and (2) response Inhibition focuses on controlling impulsive actions, like carefully considering a problem before blurting out an answer.

After removing two outlier effect sizes, the meta-analysis revealed a small positive correlation (r=0.19) between inhibitory control and overall math ability indicating that better inhibitory control is correlated with better math skills. The relationship was significantly stronger for interference inhibition (r=0.21) than response inhibition (r=0.14). Subgroup analyses revealed that the correlations between interference inhibition and various math domains (ranging from r=0.18 to r=0.27) were generally stronger than those for response inhibition across these domains (ranging from r=-0.01 to r=0.19).

The relationship between inhibitory control and mathematical ability was not moderated by domains of mathematical ability and inhibitory control task. However, pairwise comparison indicated that the link between arithmetical ability and interference inhibition (r = 0.23) was significantly stronger than the correlation between arithmetical ability and response inhibition (r = 0.12). Moreover, inhibit control measured by the Random generation task (r=0.39) was more strongly associated with math ability than when measured by the Go/No-go task (r=0.17) and other tasks (r=0.16). No significant moderation effects were found among demographic characteristics such as age, developmental status, and sample region.

This research highlights the stable influence of inhibitory control on math ability across various mathematical domains, measurement tasks, and demographic characteristics. The practical implications of these findings are discussed within the paper.

 

Source: Zhu, X., Tang, Y., Lu, J., Song, M., Yang, C., & Zhao, X. (2024). Inhibitory control and mathematical ability in elementary school children: A preregistered meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 37(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09976-w… Read the rest

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Higher Education K-12 Education Language Development

Will individuals who read well also write well?

Kim and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between reading and writing skills, particularly focus on how this relation varies by linguistic grain size, measurement of reading comprehension and written composition, and grade levels. Using robust variance estimation to address the nested structure of effect sizes, the analysis included 395 studies with 646 unique samples, totalling 2,265 effect sizes, and found a strong average correlation of 0.72 between reading and writing.

Across various linguistic grain sizes (units or chunks of language), the results showed that word reading and spelling had the strongest relation (r = 0.82), while reading comprehension and written composition had a moderate relation (r = 0.44). Other moderate correlations included spelling and text reading fluency (r = 0.59), word reading and written composition (r = 0.42), and text reading fluency and written composition (r = 0.33).

Further investigation highlighted relations between different of reading comprehension tasks and various composition dimensions. Among various measures of reading comprehension, writing quality had stronger correlations with oral-retell (r = 0.55), open-ended questions (0.49), and multiple choice (r=0.48) than the cloze task (0.37). Regarding dimensions of written composition, reading comprehension correlated more strongly with writing conventions (0.55), writing quality (0.46), and writing syntax (0.41) than with writing productivity (r0.23).

Developmentally, the word reading and spelling relation was significantly stronger for primary grade students (r = 0.82) than for university students and adults (0.69). However, the relation between reading comprehension and various dimensions of written composition did not differ by grade levels.

The findings suggest that reading-writing relations are not uniform and vary across different linguistic components and developmental stages. This meta-analysis provides a detailed and nuanced picture of these relationships.

 

Source: Kim, Y.-S. G., Wolters, A., & Lee, J. won. (2024). Reading and writing relations are not uniform: They differ by the linguistic grain size, developmental phase, and measurement. Review of Educational Research, 94(3), 311–342. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231178830… Read the rest

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K-12 Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Did interventions improve teacher well-being?

A meta-analysis by Li and colleagues investigated the effects of intervention programs on K-12 in-service teacher well-being. A total of 44 studies, comprising 176 effect sizes, published from 1990 to 2022 were included in the three-level meta-analysis. About 80% effect sizes was obtained from interventions with duration 8 weeks or less. Among these studies, 31 used a pre-test/post-test control group design, while 14 studies only compared pre/post intervention results. The overall mean effect size of 0.35.

The moderation analysis explored factors influencing effect variability across studies. The quality of each study was assessed based on five criteria (e.g., sampling method, study design), and were classified into strong, moderate, and weak. Analysis revealed that strong quality studies (g = 0.53, k=21) had the largest effect size, followed by weak (g=0.40, k=45) and moderate quality (g = 0.26, k =110) studies. Moreover, studies with a control group (g=0.39, k=111) had larger effects than those without (g=0.26, k=65), though not statistically significant.

Regarding intervention type, mindfulness-based interventions (g = 0.39, k = 79) had significantly larger effects than those targeting the mitigation of negative emotions (g = 0.15, k=13), but comparable to positive-psychology based interventions (g=0.38, k=29). While no significant differences were found, interventions had greater impact on personal well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, reducing stress) than occupational well-being (e.g., job satisfaction, occupational burnout).

The findings of the study may be inflated due to several limitations: 1) the study only included published peer-reviewed journal articles, excluding grey literature; 2) significant publication bias was found; and 3) all studies used self-report questionnaires for measurement.

Nevertheless, this meta-analysis provides a comprehensive and updated synthesis of the effects of interventions on teacher well-being.

 

Note: k = number of effect sizes.

 

Source: Li, Y., Wang, X., Chen, J., Lee, J. C.-K., Yan, Z., & Li, J.-B. (2024). The Intervention Effects on Teacher Well-being: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36(4), 129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09966-y… Read the rest

Categories
Kindergarten Language Development Primary School Education

Examining the impact of phonological-only instruction on reading

Phonological awareness (PA), the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language, is closely associated with reading success, and educators often include PA-focused activities in their reading instruction. Due to ongoing debate regarding the effectiveness of PA-only instruction without exposure to print or letters, a recent meta-analysis examined its impact on reading outcomes compared to print-based instruction.

The meta-analysis focused on studies involving participants from preschool through first grade in either randomized or quasi-experimental settings, examining the effects of different instructional methods on phonological awareness and reading outcomes. After applying inclusion criteria, 38 studies with a total of 3,880 participants (average age 5 years and 7 months) were analyzed, resulting in 293 calculated effect sizes. The results showed that PA-only instruction had a moderate overall effect on reading outcomes (g = +0.57). However, it was less effective than instruction that included print (g = -0.54), and less effective at improving word reading outcomes compared to PA skills alone (g = -0.33). The findings suggest that while PA-only instruction can be beneficial for reading, its effectiveness depends on two key factors: the type of reading outcomes and the comparison condition. Additionally, its effect on reading was more pronounced in kindergarten and first grade than in preschool. This meta-analysis did not find evidence that PA-only instruction is specifically necessary for at-risk readers compared to typical readers.

 

Source: Stalega, M. V., Kearns, D. M., Bourget, J., Bayer, N., & Hebert, M. (2024). Is phonological-only instruction helpful for reading?: A meta-analysis. Scientific Studies of Reading, 28(6), 614–635. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2024.2340708… Read the rest

Categories
K-12 Education Language Development Maths and Science Learning

Are mathematics and writing skills related?

A substantial body of research has established links between reading and mathematics skills, as well as between reading and writing. Moreover, previous studies suggest that these skills share abilities such as executive function and higher-order cognition. It is therefore reasonable to hypothesize a connection between mathematics and writing skills.

A meta-analysis by Kim and colleagues investigated the correlation between mathematics and writing skills. The authors categorized both writing and mathematics skills into lower-order and higher-order subskills. In mathematics, skills involving information retrieval and understanding of magnitude (e.g., arithmetic, calculation fluency) are considered lower-order or foundational skills, whereas skills involving reasoning and comprehension (e.g., word-problem solving, data interpretation) are higher-order skills. In writing, transcription skills (spelling and handwriting/keyboarding) are lower-order, while written composition is a higher-order skill.

The meta-analysis included 211 studies with 564 effect sizes, primarily from English-speaking participants. Utilizing robust variance estimation, the results showed that the overall correlation between mathematics and writing skills was moderate (r = .48), with grade level significantly moderating this correlation. The effect was found strongest among lower primary students (K-Grade 2: r = 0.52), decreased through upper elementary (Grade 3-6: r=0.42), to college students and adults levels (r = 0.30).

Given the potential overlap between grade level and skill level, the analysis was further disaggregated by grade level. In primary grades, the lower-order writing and lower-order mathematics skills were moderately correlated (r=0.59), while the correlation between higher-order writing and higher-order mathematics was 0.48. Among university learners, the lower-order link was 0.36, and the higher-order link was 0.25.

The findings support a substantial link between mathematics and writing skills. However, the correlations decreased as grade level increased, and the higher-order link was comparatively weaker. The authors speculated a twofold explanation: a plateau of foundational skills and the possibility that different cognitive skills might be involved in higher-order tasks, warranting further exploration.

 

Source (Open Access): Kim, Y.-S. G., Yang, D., & Hwang, J. (2024). Are mathematics and writing skills related? Evidence from meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36(4), 125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09960-4… Read the rest

Categories
Primary School Education Secondary School Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Are counselor-led SEL interventions effective? Insights from a recent meta-analysis

Social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions help students, educators, and school staff manage emotions, build relationships, and make thoughtful decisions. These programs are linked to improved academic performance and overall well-being. School counselors are crucial in implementing SEL programs but often face challenges due to limited resources, such as limited time and training. As students face increasing mental and social challenges, understanding the impact and best practices for these interventions is essential.

A recent meta-analysis reviewed the effectiveness of school counselor-led SEL interventions, including 28 studies published over the past 20 years. Using a random effects model, the analysis found an average statistically significant positive effect (ES = +0.31). Subgroup analyses and meta-regression revealed that while no moderators showed statistically significant differences, several factors were associated with larger effect sizes. Notably, larger effect sizes were observed in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (ES =+0.31) and cluster RCTs (ES = +0.42) in samples with over 50% racial/ethnic minority students (ES = +0.40 versus ES = +0.21 in samples with less diversity). Effects were larger for low SES groups (ES = +0.35 compared to +0.21 for higher SES group), and for middle (ES = +0.45) and high school students (ES = +0.43) compared to elementary students (ES = +0.08).

The interventions were more effective for academic development (ES = +0.41) than for social-emotional (ES = +0.19) or career development (ES = +0.14). Small group interventions showed the highest effect (ES = +0.44), followed by classroom lessons (ES = +0.30). Interventions grounded in theory had larger effects (ES = +0.41 for multiple theories, ES = +0.32 for a single theory) compared to those without theoretical grounding (ES = +0.17). Applying theory to measure changes in relevant constructs led to larger effects (ES = +0.34) compared to those that did not (ES = +0.26), and discussing results in relation to theory also showed higher effect sizes (ES = +0.40 vs. +0.27).

Despite the limitation of including only peer-reviewed published papers, which may lead to an overrepresentation of positive findings, this meta-analysis suggests that school counselors contribute significantly to SEL-related outcomes, especially for academic achievement. Additionally, the integration of theory in SEL programming seems to be associated with more impactful intervention results.

 

Source: Lemberger‐Truelove, M. E., Li, D., Kim, H., Wills, L., Thompson, K., & Lee, Y. (2024). Meta‐analysis of social and emotional learning interventions delivered by school counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, jcad.12537. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12537… Read the rest