Conceptual Change in Science Is Facilitated Through Peer Collaboration for Boys but Not for Girls.

Three hundred and forty-one children (Mage = 9,0 years) engaged in a series of science tasks in collaborative, same-sex pairs or did not interact. All children who collaborated on the science tasks advanced in basic-level understanding of the relevant task (motion down an incline). However, only boys advanced in their conceptual understanding at a 3-week posttest. Discussion of concepts and procedural aspects of the task led to conceptual development for boys but not girls. Gender differences in behavioral style did not influence learning. Results are discussed in terms of the links between gender and engagement in conversations, and how gender differences in collaboration may relate to differences in participation in science.

'But wait, that isn't real': A proof-of-concept study evaluating 'Project Real', a co-created intervention that helps young people to spot fake news online.

As misinformation is one of the top risks facing the world today, it is vital to ensure that young people have the confidence and skills to recognize fake news. Therefore, we used co-creation to develop an intervention (called 'Project Real') and tested its efficacy in a proof-of-concept study. One hundred and twenty-six pupils aged 11-13 completed questionnaires before and after the intervention that measured confidence and ability to recognize fake news and the number of checks they would make before sharing news. Twenty-seven pupils and three teachers participated in follow-up discussions to evaluate Project Real. Quantitative data indicated that Project Real increased participants' confidence in recognizing fake news and the number of checks they intended to make before sharing news. However, there was no change in their ability to recognize fake news. Qualitative data indicated that participants felt that they had improved their skills and confidence in recognizing fake news, supporting the quantitative data.

Is no praise good praise? Effects of positive feedback on children's and university students' responses to subsequent failures.

BACKGROUND: According to Dweck and colleagues, praise can be delivered using person ('you are clever') or process terms ('you worked hard'). Research suggests that giving people process praise after success can help them deal better with subsequent failures because it attributes outcomes to effort rather than fixed ability. However, research has thus far inadequately addressed how these types of praise compare to receiving no evaluative feedback. AIM: The aim of the present research was to examine the effects of person and process praise compared to a control group where only objective outcome feedback was given. SAMPLES: In Study 1, 145 British school children aged 9-11 years took part. In Study 2, participants were 114 British university students. METHOD: In both studies, participants read three scenarios and were asked to imagine themselves as the main character. In each scenario, they succeeded in an educational task and received either person, process, or no praise. Participants then read two scenarios, where they failed at a task. Following each scenario participants evaluated their performance, affect, and persistence. RESULTS: After one failure, participants who received person praise reacted most negatively on all dependent measures. However, those in the process condition did not differ significantly from those in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that process feedback may not be inherently positive; instead person feedback seems particularly detrimental.

Primary-secondary school transition under Covid-19: Exploring the perceptions and experiences of children, parents/guardians, and teachers.

The transition from primary to secondary school is a major life event for eleven-year-old children in the United Kingdom, where they face simultaneous changes. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, transfer children face additional uncertainty on top of this. Negotiation of the multiple challenges, combined with the reduced support associated with Covid-19, could have a negative impact on children's school adjustment and mental health. Given the rapidity of changes associated with Covid-19, there are key empirical and practical gaps on how best to support children as they negotiate these two key events. To date, there is no published research which has explored the experiences of transfer children, and that of their parents and teachers during this time. The present research aimed to narrow this research gap by answering the research question: What are parents', children's, and teachers' experiences of primary-secondary school transition during Covid-19? This research used a series of UK wide surveys to gather data from 101 Year 7 children, 88 Year 7 parents, 26 primary school teachers, and 40 secondary school teachers using a mixture of open and closed questions. The data were analysed using Thematic Framework Analysis, taking an inductive-open coding approach. All three stakeholders reported negative impacts of Covid-19 on the transition, for example, in terms of missed opportunities. There were also many comments about the emotional impact of Covid-19 on children, parents, and teachers. Numerous strategies were reported that were used to meet children's needs pre and post-transition, highlighting areas of good practice, along with practical suggestions for how to approach transition in the future. The study has identified ways that transition can be managed more effectively, thus, having short term implications in providing an evidence base to support transfer children this year, and long-term implications for future transition years.

Measuring adolescents' beliefs in conspiracy theories: Development and validation of the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ).

Four studies (total n = 961) developed and validated the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ). Initial items were developed in collaboration with teachers. An exploratory factor analysis (Study 1, n = 208, aged 11-14) and a student focus group (N = 3, aged 11) enabled us to establish the factor structure of a 9-item scale. This was replicated via confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 (N = 178, aged 11-17), and the scale displayed good convergent (i.e., relationship with paranoia and mistrust) and discriminant validity (i.e., no relationship with extraversion). Study 3a (N = 257) further tested convergent validity with a sample of 18-year-olds (i.e., relationship with adult-validated measures of conspiracy beliefs) and demonstrated strong test-retest reliability. Study 3b (N = 318) replicated these findings with a mixed-age adult sample. The ACBQ will allow researchers to explore the psychological antecedents and consequences of conspiracy thinking in young populations.

'You're in this world now': Students', teachers', and parents' experiences of school transition and how they feel it can be improved.

BACKGROUND: Primary-secondary school transition is a major life event for 11-year-old children in the United Kingdom and can also be a stressful period for parents and teachers. However, most research focuses on the impact of transition on children's academic performance and social well-being and we have a limited understanding of their emotional experiences in the lead up to and during the transition, from the perspective of key stakeholders: students, parents, and teachers. AIMS: To explore transfer students', parents', and teachers' experiences in the lead up to and over the transition period, and how they feel it could be improved. SAMPLE: The sample consisted of 45 year seven students, 8 year seven parents, 8 year seven teachers, and 8 year six teachers, recruited from five primary and five secondary schools. METHOD: Students participated in face-to-face semi-structured focus groups and adults in asynchronous online focus groups. Transcribed audio-recordings were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Students, parents, and teachers were shown to navigate a similar process over primary-secondary school transition. All talked about managing their own and others' emotions, relationships, and expectations. These were shaped by shared communication across primary and secondary schools and between the stakeholders, and impacted by how good transition provision was seen to be. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to understand the transition period from the perspective of students, teachers, and parents, to improve school transition. This information will allow us to design emotional centred support interventions that reflect these lived experiences.

Examining teachers' ratings of feedback following success and failure: a study of Chinese English teachers.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has explored the impact of different types of praise and criticism on how children experience success and failure. However, less is known about how teachers choose to deliver feedback and specifically whether they deliver person (ability) or process (effort) feedback. AIM: The aim of the current study was to use vignettes to explore how teachers would deliver feedback following success and failure. SAMPLE: The sample consisted of Chinese Primary school English teachers (N = 169). METHOD: Participants read vignettes depicting children's educational successes and failures. They rated their perceptions of task difficulty, likelihood of giving feedback, and likelihood of giving both person and process forms of feedback. They also completed measures of whether they viewed intelligence as fixed or malleable. RESULTS: Results suggested that teachers stated that they would be more likely to give praise than criticism and would be more likely to give feedback for tasks perceived to be more challenging than easy. Following success, teachers endorsed the use of person and process feedback interchangeably, while following failure they endorsed more process feedback. Finally, teachers' understanding of intelligence was also associated with feedback delivery. If teachers believed that intelligence was fixed (vs. something that can be developed), they said that they were more likely to give more person and process praise, but following failure gave more process feedback. CONCLUSION: The current research gives insight into how teachers give feedback, and how perceived task difficulty and teachers' views of intelligence can influence these choices. Further research is needed to understand why teachers may make these decisions.

The influence of teacher feedback on children's perceptions of student-teacher relationships.

BACKGROUND: Teachers can deliver feedback using person ('you are clever') or process terms ('you worked hard'). Person feedback can lead to negative academic outcomes, but there is little experimental research examining the impact of feedback on children's perceptions of the student-teacher relationship. AIM: We examined the effects of person, process, and no feedback on children's perceptions of their relationship with a (fictional) teacher following success and failure. SAMPLES: Participants were British children (145 aged 9-11 in experiment 1 and 98 aged 7-11 in experiment 2). METHOD: In experiment 1, participants read three scenarios where they succeeded and received one of two types of praise (person or process) or no praise. Participants then read two scenarios where they failed. In experiment 2, participants read that they had failed in three tasks and received one of two types of criticism (person or process) or no criticism. Participants then read two scenarios where they succeeded. They rated how much they liked the teacher and how much they felt that the teacher liked them. RESULTS: Children felt more positive about the student-teacher relationship following success than failure. Type of praise did not influence perceptions of the student-teacher relationship following success or failure. However, person criticism led children to view the student-teacher relationship more negatively following failure and maintain this negative view following the first success. CONCLUSIONS: Success appears to be important for developing positive student-teacher relationships. In response to failure, teachers could avoid person criticism which may negatively influence the student-teacher relationship.