This study examined whether immersive virtual reality (VR) supports second-language vocabulary learning in school-aged children compared to passive computer-based training. Seventy-three Swedish middle-school students learned novel words by assembling objects in VR and by viewing object assembly on a computer screen in a crossover design. Word recall was tested after each condition, and individual differences in language aptitude and sustained attention were assessed. Overall, recall was higher after computer-based training than VR. However, sustained attention was the strongest predictor of learning outcomes, and the difference between conditions was (marginally) significant only for children with higher sustained attention. No VR behavioural measures (gaze, assembly time, rotation) explained learning outcomes. These findings suggest that VR may not universally enhance vocabulary learning but could benefit learners with specific attentional profiles. Further research should explore how VR design and training duration influence language acquisition in school settings.
Maja Rudling, Theodor Rumetshofer, Jens Nirme et al.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of postural education on the learning and postural habits of elementary school children without physical intervention. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Lilacs, SciELO, Cochrane, and Science Direct data bases and reference lists of studies in February 2020. The eligibility criteria were randomized clinical trials related to the effect of postural education in children aged between 6 and 12 years old. Two authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias: randomization process, deviations from intended interventions, missing outcome data, measurement of the outcome, and selection of the reported result. Data were extracted in standardized tables including information on author, publication year, country, sample size, age, sex, intervention characteristics, outcome measurements and results. RESULTS: We found seven clinical trials (involving 2,568 children) for the review. The studies were conducted between 2000 and 2018: four in Belgium, two in Spain, and one in Germany. All seven included trials underwent evaluation: only one had a clear process of randomization and allocation concealment. All included studies were judged as having high risk of bias in at least one domain or have concerns for multiple domains. CONCLUSIONS: The positive effects of acquired knowledge and postural habits found in the studies cannot be used to reliably support postural education in elementary school children due to a high risk of bias in the evaluated studies.
Paola Janeiro Valenciano, Fabíola Unbehaun Cibinello, Jéssica Caroliny de Jesus Neves et al.
This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of child sexual abuse prevalence globally, along with an examination of the effectiveness of school-based prevention education programmes for primary school-aged children. These prevention programmes utilise social cognitive learning theories to teach children the importance of identifying and responding to abusive situations. A total of 676 papers were evaluated with 13 Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) or cluster RCT design studies identified as meeting the study's inclusion criteria. These studies were published in English between January 2000 and May 2022, and focus on outcomes of school-based prevention programmes designed for primary school-aged children (5–12 years old). To ensure a comprehensive and academically rigorous analysis, the following databases were included: Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) PsycINFO, Ovid Medline, and Embase. The studies reviewed aim to evaluate the effectiveness of various child sexual abuse prevention programmes in improving children's knowledge and recognition of, and response to potentially unsafe situations. In terms of outcomes and results, the interventions have significantly impacted knowledge, skills, confidence, and awareness in the short and long term. These studies used different intervention methods, including mobile applications, personal safety programmes, and protective behaviour programmes, delivered in various formats such as web-based, textbooks, and in-person sessions. This systematic review highlights the importance of child sexual abuse prevention programmes in schools and the need for further research.
Abstract Nature-based learning within the primary school curriculum offers numerous potential benefits. However, there is a lack of clarity about how school grounds can be designed to enable effective nature-based learning. There is also little knowledge of how specific features within green school grounds contribute to specific desirable outcomes, such as improved academic performance or health. To address this gap, a systematised review of peer-reviewed academic literature was undertaken, with 173 databases searched from January to December 2021. The search included studies of nature-based learning on school grounds and literature concerned with the design of green school grounds for fostering nature connectedness and broader educational outcomes for primary school children aged 5 to 11. No date or geographical restrictions were applied. Of a total of 285 articles initially identified, 11 matched the inclusion criteria. Results from these indicate significant research gaps on the design of green learning spaces in schools. While studies note apparent positive links between nature-based learning in school grounds and improved subject-specific learning, wellbeing, and nature connectedness, there is very little empirical evidence of how specific design features are linked to specific outcomes. Furthermore, the current evidence base is poorly representative of different social, cultural, and geographical contexts and not fully reflective of all primary schooling ages. The challenging contexts of urban schools and schools with small footprints are also inadequately addressed. These findings indicate an urgent need for increased research to guide the design of school grounds for the implementation of nature-based learning programmes for primary school learners.
Robots are increasingly being used to provide motivating, engaging and personalised support to learners. These robotic tutors have been able to increase student learning gain by providing personalised hints or problem selection. However, they have never been used to assist children in developing self regulated learning (SRL) skills. SRL skills allow a learner to more effectively self-assess and guide their own learning; learners that engage these skills have been shown to perform better academically. This paper explores how personalised tutoring by a robot achieved using an open learner model (OLM) promotes SRL processes and how this can impact learning and SRL skills compared to personalised domain support alone. An OLM allows the learner to view the model that the system holds about them. We present a longer-term study where participants take part in a geography-based task on a touch screen with adaptive feedback provided by the robot. In addition to domain support the robotic tutor uses an OLM to prompt the learner to monitor their developing skills, set goals, and use appropriate tools. Results show that, when a robotic tutor personalises and adaptively scaffolds SRL behaviour based upon an OLM, greater indication of SRL behaviour can be observed over the control condition where the robotic tutor only provides domain support and not SRL scaffolding.
Introduction and purpose: Regular physical activity is a central component of healthy development in children and adolescents and has also been proposed as a factor that may contribute to cognitive and educational outcomes. The aim of this narrative review was to summarize current evidence on the relationship between regular physical activity, cognitive function and academic performance in school-aged children and adolescents, with particular attention to physical education, school-based interventions and school health promotion. Brief description of the state of knowledge: The reviewed literature indicates that physical activity is associated with selected cognitive benefits, particularly executive functions, attention, working memory and classroom behavior. Systematic reviews, meta-analysis and intervention studies suggest that regular, structured and cognitively engaging activity can improve learning readiness and may produce neutral to small or moderate positive effects on academic achievement. However, the evidence remains heterogeneous and appears to depend on age, activity type, intensity, duration, baseline fitness, cognitive engagement, school context and outcome measurement. Summary: Physical activity should not be framed as a competitor to academic learning. Physical education, active breaks, active lessons, extracurricular sport and active commuting can instead be integrated into a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving school health promotion and the quality of learning environments. Future studies should clarify dose-response relationships and identify the most effective types of activity for different developmental stages. Keywords: physical activity; child; adolescent; cognition; executive function; academic performance
Dawid Stępień, Małgorzata Pietrzyk, Kamil Pawelkiewicz et al.
The child’s right to be heard is a cornerstone of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children growing up outside of their natural families particularly often find themselves in situations where this right should be fulfilled. In Russia, the child’s participation in decision-making at the time of their separation from their parents, and during their stay in the children’s homes, is often overlooked by both static monitoring and academic studies. In our study we raise the following research questions: To what extent is the right of a child separated from his or her natural parents to participate in decision-making respected? How does involvement in decision-making impact their psychosocial wellbeing? The study covered 215 children aged between ten and seventeen (mean age fourteen years) living in children’s homes in St. Petersburg. Our findings show that 42 % of children believe that they were not heard when the decisions affecting their interests were made. Talking with a social counsellor and having a trusted adult in the children’s home add to children’s perceptions that they have been heard. Limited participation in decision-making increases the odds of psychosocial difficulties in the binary logistic regression. We conclude that limited participation in decision-making negatively impacts the effectiveness of work with children and their psychosocial well-being. Since the degree and effectiveness of children’s participation depends primarily on the attitudes of professionals and their ability to create trusting relationships with children, a further increase in children’s participation will require a change in the professional paradigm of specialists. Specific methods for increasing the participation of children should be introduced in the daily practice of child welfare workers.
BACKGROUND: Children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) live with long-term physical, developmental, behavioural, or mental conditions that affect everyday functioning and require specialized care. According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), such conditions may cause impairments in body functions and structures, limitations in activities, and restrictions in participation, shaped by environmental factors. Evidence on social participation and its correlates in CSHCN remains limited. Therefore, we aimed to identify which correlates are associated with social participation across different conditions and indications in a multi-site sample of CSHCN in Social Paediatric Centres (SPCs) in Germany. METHODS: This study analysed parent-reported data of CSHCN (3-18 years) from the baseline of the PART-CHILD cohort collected in routine care in 15 SPCs in Germany (2019-2020). Social participation (outcome) in home, community, school, and living activity domains was assessed using the German Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP). In the regression analysis, independent variables included environmental factors (parental educational attainment, German native language) and health-related factors (impairment type and complexity reported as reason for referral to the SPCs, health-related quality of life (HRQoL)), as well as age (operationalised in groups [3-6; 7-10; 11-18 years]) and sex as covariates. Linear complete case regression models were performed, and β-coefficients and 95% confidence intervals were reported. RESULTS: Five hundred fifty-one families of CSHCN (68.24% female; 44.46% aged three to six and 34.66% from seven to ten years old) were available for analysis (10.99% missing outcome). CASP total mean score was 75.99 (± 20.03; range: 25-100), the lowest in living activities subscale (68.07 ± 24.81), including household activities, shopping, transportation. In the complete case regression analysis (n = 350), older child age and higher HRQoL were associated with higher social participation score across all domains. Children with both physical and cognitive impairments had lower CASP scores in the total, home, and school models, with a trend to association in the community model. Lower parental educational attainment was significantly associated with reduced social participation in the living activities subscale. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we confirmed previous findings on factors determining social participation in CSHCN, such as age and higher HRQoL. Impairment complexity (combined physical and cognitive impairments) decreased participation in home and school. The lower participation in daily living activities for lower educated parents confirms, that social environment significantly influences social participation. This highlights that to improve social participation, strategies are needed that address family-level and broader environmental barriers to lessen social and functional disadvantages in particularly vulnerable subgroups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PART-CHILD cohort, German Clinical Trials Register - Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien (DRKS), DRKS00015054, registered on 16 November 2018.
Carolina Fioroni Ribeiro da Silva, Angélique Herrler, Marielle Wirth et al.
Family activities foster emotional bonds, shared values, and the well-being of all members. Children with disabilities are generally less involved in family activities, with greater participation at home than in community settings. However, little is known about the predictors of their participation, particularly the roles of independence, challenging behavior, and social–emotional competencies. In this study, parents of children with disabilities of primary school age (N = 315) completed surveys on family activities, their own parental behaviors, and their child’s social and emotional competencies, independence, and frequency of challenging behaviors. Children’s independence and social–emotional competencies, together with parental support, emerged as positive predictors of family activities (family time, mealtime and household tasks, and socializing with others). In contrast, challenging behaviors reduced participation in socializing, while parental permissiveness reduced participation in mealtime and household tasks. These results indicate that both child characteristics and parental behaviors can enhance or hinder participation in family activities, providing insights for targeted interventions to improve family life for children with disabilities. • Child independence and social-emotional skills boost family activity participation. • Parental support enhances engagement in family time, meals, and household tasks. • Challenging behaviors reduce children’s participation in socializing with others. • Parental permissiveness lowers involvement in mealtimes and household activities.
