Neuroscience and education

Neuromyths: misconceptions about neurodevelopment among Italian teachers (2024). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Background: Neuromyths are common misconceptions about the brain, often generated by a poor understanding of scientifically established facts. To date, limited research has explored the prevalence of neuromyths about neurodevelopmental disorders among teachers. Method: The present study investigated the prevalence of general and neurodevelopmental neuromyths among 820 Italian teachers. Results: Italian teachers correctly identified 73% of general neuromyths and 70% of neurodevelopmental neuromyths. The difference between the endorsement of general and neurodevelopmental neuromyths was significant. The frequency of access to relevant information emerged as a protective factor. A mediation analysis showed that a greater need for cognition was significantly associated with a higher frequency of access to relevant information about the brain, which in turn led to lower endorsement of neuromyths. Conclusion: Based on our findings, we suggest that teachers may benefit from neuroeducation initiatives aimed at improving neuroscience literacy in both initial teacher education and continuing professional development.

Educational neuromyths and instructional practices: the case of inclusive education teachers in Hong Kong (2024). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Background: Educational neuromyths are known to exist among teachers in Western countries, and some researchers argue that they may affect classroom teaching. Method: An online survey was designed and distributed to sixty-four inclusive education teachers in Hong Kong. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, hierarchical multiple regression, and thematic analysis were used to analyze the collected data. Results: First, there is a relatively low prevalence of neuromyths among teachers in Hong Kong. Second, neuromyths were not significantly correlated with teachers' inclusive instructional practices. Third, teachers' general knowledge of the brain was significantly correlated with neuromyths and is an important predictor of neuromyths. Fourth, teachers' job stress was the main barrier to learning about neuroscience and adopting evidence-based practices in classroom teaching in Hong Kong. Conclusion: Our findings raise awareness of environmental and cultural factors that should be considered and that could affect the prevalence of neuromyth studies in non-STRANGE contexts.

Associations between fundamental motor skill development and executive functions in preschool children: the role of physical activity and its effects on early arithmetic (2024). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Background: Physical activity, fundamental motor skills, executive functions, and early arithmetic have been shown to be related, but little is known about the developmental relationships of these factors. Procedure: We followed 317 children (aged 3 to 6 years) for two years. Fundamental motor skills and executive functions (inhibition+switching, updating) were measured at all time points (T1, T2, T3), physical activity at T1, and early arithmetic at T3. Main findings: Children with better fundamental motor skills at T1 developed inhibition and switching more slowly. Fundamental motor skills developed faster in children who had better initial inhibition and switching ability. Vigorous physical activity at T1 was associated with weaker initial inhibition and switching. The initial level and rate of development of updating were related to better early numeracy skills. Conclusions: The findings indicate that fundamental motor skills and executive functions are related to development, and updating is an important predictor of early arithmetic in preschool children.

Short breaks at school: effects of physical activity and mindfulness intervention on children's attention, reading comprehension, and self-esteem (2021). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Background: Although breaks are essential for restoring the cognitive and psychological conditions for learning, short breaks have not been established within school lessons, and the specificity of their effects has not been frequently investigated. Therefore, the effects of physical activity (Study 1) and a mindfulness intervention (Study 2) were investigated. Procedure: Using a control-group intervention design, the effects of daily 10-minute physical activity (Study 1: N = 162, 4th grade) and mindfulness breaks (Study 2: N = 79, 5th grade) within regular school classes over a period of 2 weeks to investigate the impact on attention, reading comprehension, and self-esteem. Results: The physical activity intervention improved children's attention (attention processing speed: p < .004 = .05, attention-performance: p < .025, = .03), and the mindfulness intervention improved reading comprehension (p < .012, = 0.08) compared to controls. The results also indicated that self-esteem moderated the relationship between the groups and the improvement in attention in study 1. Conclusion: Brief physical and mindfulness breaks in the classroom could promote attention and reading comprehension, which are known to promote overall academic success.

Board game-based intervention to improve executive functions and academic skills in rural schools: a randomized controlled trial (2023). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Introduction: This research aims to increase knowledge about the use of board games in the classroom to train executive functions and academic skills. Ninety-nine children from rural schools were assessed on executive functions and academic skills. Methods: Using a randomized controlled trial, they were assigned to a game group (n = 51) and an active control group (regular classes without games, n = 48). The game program consisted of 12 sessions over 6 weeks with eight commercial board games. Results: In flexibility, the play group was significantly faster after the program (p= = 0.01; d = 0.76), but not the control group (p = 0.23; d = 0.35). Both groups improved on academic tasks, but the significance in math was greater in the game group (p = 0.00; d = 2.19) than in the control group (p = 0.01; d = 0.97). Discussion: The use of board games during school hours could be as good or better than regular classes as a methodology for cognitive training and academic skill learning.

Sensitivity to difficulty replaces sensitivity to reward during adolescence: Task-related fMRI and functional connectivity during self-regulated learning choices (2024). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Objective: We examined age-related differences in valuation and cognitive control circuits during value-based decision making. Methods: Children aged 13 (N = 25) and 17 (N = 22) made a metacognitive decision to be evaluated or not in an upcoming learning task, based on the reward and difficulty associated with word pairs. To investigate whether these determinants of subjective value are processed differently at different ages, we performed region of interest (ROI)-based analyses of task-related data and functional connectivity. Results: Age-related differences were observed in the responsiveness of valuation structures (amygdala, ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and the caudate nucleus, with reward-modulated activity in 13-year-olds, while in 17-year-olds, activity responded to difficulty. This accompanied age-related differences in functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal and striatum/amygdala nuclei. Discussion: These results are consistent with current views that changes in sensitivity to reward and difficulty during adolescence are the result of a maturational change in effort-related signaling in the cognitive control circuit, which increasingly regulates value signaling structures.