Abstract Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with dedu... more Abstract Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with deductive reasoning achievements. In this study, a combined WM-capacity and WM-reasoning strategy training is incorporated in secondary school social studies curricula to investigate its effects on reasoning achievements. Four secondary classes in three schools in the Netherlands participated in the present study with a total of 81 students in higher general secondary education. WM-capacity and reasoning achievements of the experimental groups improved significantly after 4 training weeks compared to control group results. The gain in reasoning abilities is demonstrated in both experimental subgroups, while control group results did not improve. The study supports the notion that deductive reasoning gains can be achieved through a combination of WM-capacity and strategy training in a content-based context.
This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and studen... more This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and student achievements in compulsory education. Therefore, Hoover-Dempsey's framework on parental involvement in homework will be updated with more recent findings from the international scientific literature. When parents facilitate, structure or emotionally support the homework process and, as such, are not actively involved in assisting in homework tasks, then the literature indicates indecisive or negative results. However, when parents are directly involved in assisting their children during homework tasks, then positive correlations were found throughout the literature, in particular when parents engage in meta-strategies or support the child's understanding of homework. While policy is primarily focused on providing instruments for parents to facilitate or structure the homework process, the current review suggests that parents need to be better informed on specific strategies that accommodate the student's need when assisting in homework tasks in order to improve achievements.
Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less paren... more Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less parental involvement than the older children. These differences in parental involvement through birth order may impact academic achievement if, and only if, parental involvement is an important determinant of children's educational attainment. The oldest child then benefits the most in terms of educational outcomes. This hypothesis is tested for one European country, the Netherlands, by using an instrumental variables empirical strategy. In particular, birth order is used as an instrument for parental involvement in order to account for endogeneity issues. The estimates show a robust negative relationship between birth order and parental involvement, and significant positive medium to large effects of parental involvement through birth order on various measures of academic achievement. Furthermore, our findings indicate that academic achievement is rooted in a school-supportive home clima...
De betrokkenheid van ouders bij het onderwijs van hun kind is van invloed op hun leerprestaties. ... more De betrokkenheid van ouders bij het onderwijs van hun kind is van invloed op hun leerprestaties. Vooral moeders eigenen zich deze betrokken rol toe, maar gezamenlijke ouderbegeleiding zou voor de leerprestaties beter zijn. See more at: http://www.economie.nl/artikel/ouderbetrokkenheid-bei%CC%88nvloedt-leerprestaties
ABSTRACT Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required.... more ABSTRACT Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required. Brain-based training of working memory (WM) may improve reasoning abilities. In this study, we use a brain-based training programme based on historical content to enhance reasoning abilities in history courses. In the first experiment, a combined intervention of WM-capacity and reasoning strategies is trained and compared with control group data in ‘HAVO’ (medium track secondary education in the Netherlands). WM-capacity and reasoning strategies of the experimental group improve significantly after three weeks of training. Students achieve significantly better in school tests in which reasoning abilities are tested. The gain in reasoning abilities is also significant 16 weeks after the training programme is completed. In the second experiment, WM-capacity and reasoning strategies are trained independently and compared with control group data in ‘VWO’ (upper track secondary education). Training of WM-capacity did not improve achievements in reasoning tests significantly, but training of reasoning strategies did. However, the results of both experiments cannot be compared because of cognitive group differences between Experiment 1 and 2 (educational tracks). These results demonstrate that brain-based learning strategies to improve reasoning abilities can easily be integrated in history curricula. Furthermore, a six-week training period can improve reasoning abilities of students in secondary education significantly. The study used content-based, non-adaptive training methods that are based on standardised tests. Cognitive WM test scores indicate a ceiling effect which can be explained by the absence of the adaptive element in the training.
Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with deductive rea... more Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with deductive reasoning achievements. In this study, a combined WM-capacity and WM-reasoning strategy training is incorporated in secondary school social studies curricula to investigate its effects on reasoning achievements. Four secondary classes in three schools in the Netherlands participated in the present study with a total of 81 students in higher general secondary education. WM-capacity and reasoning achievements of the experimental groups improved significantly after 4 training weeks compared to control group results. The gain in reasoning abilities is demonstrated in both experimental subgroups, while control group results did not improve. The study supports the notion that deductive reasoning gains can be achieved through a combination of WM-capacity and strategy training in a content-based context.
This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and studen... more This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and student achievements in compulsory education. Therefore, Hoover-Dempsey's framework on parental involvement in homework will be updated with more recent findings from the international scientific literature. When parents facilitate, structure or emotionally support the homework process and, as such, are not actively involved in assisting in homework tasks, then the literature indicates indecisive or negative results. However, when parents are directly involved in assisting their children during homework tasks, then positive correlations were found throughout the literature, in particular when parents engage in meta-strategies or support the child's understanding of homework. While policy is primarily focused on providing instruments for parents to facilitate or structure the homework process, the current review suggests that parents need to be better informed on specific strategies that accommodate the student's need when assisting in homework tasks in order to improve achievements.
Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less paren... more Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less parental involvement than the older children. These differences in parental involvement through birth order may impact academic achievement if, and only if, parental involvement is an important determinant of children's educational attainment. The oldest child then benefits the most in terms of educational outcomes. Estimates for the Netherlands show a robust negative relationship between birth order and parental involvement, and significant positive medium to large effects of parental involvement through birth order on various measures of academic achievement. Furthermore, our findings indicate that academic achievement is rooted in a school-supportive home climate, and often created by the mother. However, when it comes to math performance and grade retention, it is better that both parents unduly interfere with school. We also find that parents with low socio-economic status and from immigrant families are as much involved in the education of their children as the average Dutch family, but their involvement is less effective in terms of children's learning outcomes. . between schools (Macleod and urquiola, 2009); unauthorized truancy (Henry 2007); crime and citizenship Moretti 2004a, 2004b); reasoning abilities (Ariës, Groot, and Maassen van den Brink, 2015); and health and mortality . This article puts particular focus on one determinant of academic attainment that has increasingly attracted attention from many scientists and policy-makers across OECD countries, namely: parental involvement in the education of their children (e.g. European Commission 2010; uS Department of Education 2010). As parental involvement involves many complex dimensions, previous literature indicate large differences in effects on children's academic achievement . Wilder (2014, 390) summarizes:
Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required. Brain-ba... more Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required. Brain-based training of working memory (WM) may improve reasoning abilities. In this study, we use a brain-based training programme based on historical content to enhance reasoning abilities in history courses. In the first experiment, a combined intervention of WM-capacity and reasoning strategies is trained and compared with control group data in 'HAVO' (medium track secondary education in the Netherlands). WM-capacity and reasoning strategies of the experimental group improve significantly after three weeks of training. Students achieve significantly better in school tests in which reasoning abilities are tested. The gain in reasoning abilities is also significant 16 weeks after the training programme is completed. In the second experiment, WM-capacity and reasoning strategies are trained independently and compared with control group data in 'VWO' (upper track secondary education). Training of WM-capacity did not improve achievements in reasoning tests significantly, but training of reasoning strategies did. However, the results of both experiments cannot be compared because of cognitive group differences between Experiment 1 and 2 (educational tracks). These results demonstrate that brain-based learning strategies to improve reasoning abilities can easily be integrated in history curricula. Furthermore, a six-week training period can improve reasoning abilities of students in secondary education significantly. The study used content-based, non-adaptive training methods that are based on standardised tests. Cognitive WM test scores indicate a ceiling effect which can be explained by the absence of the adaptive element in the training.
O uderbetrokkenheid in het primair (PO) en voortgezet (VO) onderwijs staat hoog op de beleidsagen... more O uderbetrokkenheid in het primair (PO) en voortgezet (VO) onderwijs staat hoog op de beleidsagenda. Zo investeert het Ministerie van OCW tussen 2014-2018 één miljoen euro in onderzoek naar de bevordering van ouderbetrokkenheid bij de school om de ontwikkeling van kinderen te stimuleren. In het buitenland wordt ingezet op vergelijkbaar beleid ten behoeve van ouderbetrokkenheid. Het Britse ministerie van onderwijs vaardigt richtlijnen uit over hoe ouders meer betrokken kunnen zijn bij het leerproces van hun kinderen en President Obama onderstreept de behoefte in de Verenigde Staten aan onderwijsbeleid dat zich in het bijzonder richt op ouders en hun kinderen (US Department of Education, 2010).
Secondary school-pupils frequently underachieve in tests which require problem-solving skills. Tr... more Secondary school-pupils frequently underachieve in tests which require problem-solving skills. Training of working memory (WM) may improve problem solving skills. We review primary and secondary school-based interventions to evaluate the capability WM-training to enhance problem solving skills. Two aspects of WM appear to affect reasoning skills. WM capacity plays a role in short term storing and in manipulating information. Meta-cognitive WM concerns the storage of acquired knowledge of problem solving skills in long term memory. We conclude that both aspects could improve reasoning skills. Metacognition causes students to achieve significantly better compared with non-trained groups regardless of training type and intensity. Few studies are found that focus on school-based interventions. Furthermore, in line with earlier reviews, many studies lack a critical analysis of the mechanisms by which WM causes reasoning achievements in classroom environments. The question whether transfer-effects to domain-specific reasoning is expected remains a topic for further research.
Abstract Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with dedu... more Abstract Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with deductive reasoning achievements. In this study, a combined WM-capacity and WM-reasoning strategy training is incorporated in secondary school social studies curricula to investigate its effects on reasoning achievements. Four secondary classes in three schools in the Netherlands participated in the present study with a total of 81 students in higher general secondary education. WM-capacity and reasoning achievements of the experimental groups improved significantly after 4 training weeks compared to control group results. The gain in reasoning abilities is demonstrated in both experimental subgroups, while control group results did not improve. The study supports the notion that deductive reasoning gains can be achieved through a combination of WM-capacity and strategy training in a content-based context.
This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and studen... more This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and student achievements in compulsory education. Therefore, Hoover-Dempsey's framework on parental involvement in homework will be updated with more recent findings from the international scientific literature. When parents facilitate, structure or emotionally support the homework process and, as such, are not actively involved in assisting in homework tasks, then the literature indicates indecisive or negative results. However, when parents are directly involved in assisting their children during homework tasks, then positive correlations were found throughout the literature, in particular when parents engage in meta-strategies or support the child's understanding of homework. While policy is primarily focused on providing instruments for parents to facilitate or structure the homework process, the current review suggests that parents need to be better informed on specific strategies that accommodate the student's need when assisting in homework tasks in order to improve achievements.
Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less paren... more Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less parental involvement than the older children. These differences in parental involvement through birth order may impact academic achievement if, and only if, parental involvement is an important determinant of children's educational attainment. The oldest child then benefits the most in terms of educational outcomes. This hypothesis is tested for one European country, the Netherlands, by using an instrumental variables empirical strategy. In particular, birth order is used as an instrument for parental involvement in order to account for endogeneity issues. The estimates show a robust negative relationship between birth order and parental involvement, and significant positive medium to large effects of parental involvement through birth order on various measures of academic achievement. Furthermore, our findings indicate that academic achievement is rooted in a school-supportive home clima...
De betrokkenheid van ouders bij het onderwijs van hun kind is van invloed op hun leerprestaties. ... more De betrokkenheid van ouders bij het onderwijs van hun kind is van invloed op hun leerprestaties. Vooral moeders eigenen zich deze betrokken rol toe, maar gezamenlijke ouderbegeleiding zou voor de leerprestaties beter zijn. See more at: http://www.economie.nl/artikel/ouderbetrokkenheid-bei%CC%88nvloedt-leerprestaties
ABSTRACT Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required.... more ABSTRACT Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required. Brain-based training of working memory (WM) may improve reasoning abilities. In this study, we use a brain-based training programme based on historical content to enhance reasoning abilities in history courses. In the first experiment, a combined intervention of WM-capacity and reasoning strategies is trained and compared with control group data in ‘HAVO’ (medium track secondary education in the Netherlands). WM-capacity and reasoning strategies of the experimental group improve significantly after three weeks of training. Students achieve significantly better in school tests in which reasoning abilities are tested. The gain in reasoning abilities is also significant 16 weeks after the training programme is completed. In the second experiment, WM-capacity and reasoning strategies are trained independently and compared with control group data in ‘VWO’ (upper track secondary education). Training of WM-capacity did not improve achievements in reasoning tests significantly, but training of reasoning strategies did. However, the results of both experiments cannot be compared because of cognitive group differences between Experiment 1 and 2 (educational tracks). These results demonstrate that brain-based learning strategies to improve reasoning abilities can easily be integrated in history curricula. Furthermore, a six-week training period can improve reasoning abilities of students in secondary education significantly. The study used content-based, non-adaptive training methods that are based on standardised tests. Cognitive WM test scores indicate a ceiling effect which can be explained by the absence of the adaptive element in the training.
Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with deductive rea... more Evidence suggests that working memory (WM) abilities and WM training correlate with deductive reasoning achievements. In this study, a combined WM-capacity and WM-reasoning strategy training is incorporated in secondary school social studies curricula to investigate its effects on reasoning achievements. Four secondary classes in three schools in the Netherlands participated in the present study with a total of 81 students in higher general secondary education. WM-capacity and reasoning achievements of the experimental groups improved significantly after 4 training weeks compared to control group results. The gain in reasoning abilities is demonstrated in both experimental subgroups, while control group results did not improve. The study supports the notion that deductive reasoning gains can be achieved through a combination of WM-capacity and strategy training in a content-based context.
This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and studen... more This review specifically focuses on the correlations between various parent strategies and student achievements in compulsory education. Therefore, Hoover-Dempsey's framework on parental involvement in homework will be updated with more recent findings from the international scientific literature. When parents facilitate, structure or emotionally support the homework process and, as such, are not actively involved in assisting in homework tasks, then the literature indicates indecisive or negative results. However, when parents are directly involved in assisting their children during homework tasks, then positive correlations were found throughout the literature, in particular when parents engage in meta-strategies or support the child's understanding of homework. While policy is primarily focused on providing instruments for parents to facilitate or structure the homework process, the current review suggests that parents need to be better informed on specific strategies that accommodate the student's need when assisting in homework tasks in order to improve achievements.
Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less paren... more Theory and evidence indicate that, if family size grows, the younger children will get less parental involvement than the older children. These differences in parental involvement through birth order may impact academic achievement if, and only if, parental involvement is an important determinant of children's educational attainment. The oldest child then benefits the most in terms of educational outcomes. Estimates for the Netherlands show a robust negative relationship between birth order and parental involvement, and significant positive medium to large effects of parental involvement through birth order on various measures of academic achievement. Furthermore, our findings indicate that academic achievement is rooted in a school-supportive home climate, and often created by the mother. However, when it comes to math performance and grade retention, it is better that both parents unduly interfere with school. We also find that parents with low socio-economic status and from immigrant families are as much involved in the education of their children as the average Dutch family, but their involvement is less effective in terms of children's learning outcomes. . between schools (Macleod and urquiola, 2009); unauthorized truancy (Henry 2007); crime and citizenship Moretti 2004a, 2004b); reasoning abilities (Ariës, Groot, and Maassen van den Brink, 2015); and health and mortality . This article puts particular focus on one determinant of academic attainment that has increasingly attracted attention from many scientists and policy-makers across OECD countries, namely: parental involvement in the education of their children (e.g. European Commission 2010; uS Department of Education 2010). As parental involvement involves many complex dimensions, previous literature indicate large differences in effects on children's academic achievement . Wilder (2014, 390) summarizes:
Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required. Brain-ba... more Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required. Brain-based training of working memory (WM) may improve reasoning abilities. In this study, we use a brain-based training programme based on historical content to enhance reasoning abilities in history courses. In the first experiment, a combined intervention of WM-capacity and reasoning strategies is trained and compared with control group data in 'HAVO' (medium track secondary education in the Netherlands). WM-capacity and reasoning strategies of the experimental group improve significantly after three weeks of training. Students achieve significantly better in school tests in which reasoning abilities are tested. The gain in reasoning abilities is also significant 16 weeks after the training programme is completed. In the second experiment, WM-capacity and reasoning strategies are trained independently and compared with control group data in 'VWO' (upper track secondary education). Training of WM-capacity did not improve achievements in reasoning tests significantly, but training of reasoning strategies did. However, the results of both experiments cannot be compared because of cognitive group differences between Experiment 1 and 2 (educational tracks). These results demonstrate that brain-based learning strategies to improve reasoning abilities can easily be integrated in history curricula. Furthermore, a six-week training period can improve reasoning abilities of students in secondary education significantly. The study used content-based, non-adaptive training methods that are based on standardised tests. Cognitive WM test scores indicate a ceiling effect which can be explained by the absence of the adaptive element in the training.
O uderbetrokkenheid in het primair (PO) en voortgezet (VO) onderwijs staat hoog op de beleidsagen... more O uderbetrokkenheid in het primair (PO) en voortgezet (VO) onderwijs staat hoog op de beleidsagenda. Zo investeert het Ministerie van OCW tussen 2014-2018 één miljoen euro in onderzoek naar de bevordering van ouderbetrokkenheid bij de school om de ontwikkeling van kinderen te stimuleren. In het buitenland wordt ingezet op vergelijkbaar beleid ten behoeve van ouderbetrokkenheid. Het Britse ministerie van onderwijs vaardigt richtlijnen uit over hoe ouders meer betrokken kunnen zijn bij het leerproces van hun kinderen en President Obama onderstreept de behoefte in de Verenigde Staten aan onderwijsbeleid dat zich in het bijzonder richt op ouders en hun kinderen (US Department of Education, 2010).
Secondary school-pupils frequently underachieve in tests which require problem-solving skills. Tr... more Secondary school-pupils frequently underachieve in tests which require problem-solving skills. Training of working memory (WM) may improve problem solving skills. We review primary and secondary school-based interventions to evaluate the capability WM-training to enhance problem solving skills. Two aspects of WM appear to affect reasoning skills. WM capacity plays a role in short term storing and in manipulating information. Meta-cognitive WM concerns the storage of acquired knowledge of problem solving skills in long term memory. We conclude that both aspects could improve reasoning skills. Metacognition causes students to achieve significantly better compared with non-trained groups regardless of training type and intensity. Few studies are found that focus on school-based interventions. Furthermore, in line with earlier reviews, many studies lack a critical analysis of the mechanisms by which WM causes reasoning achievements in classroom environments. The question whether transfer-effects to domain-specific reasoning is expected remains a topic for further research.
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