Education Research Report

THIS WEEK 
Education Research Report

Going into kindergarten already well-prepared gives a child many advantages later in life

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d

Everything you ever really needed to know you learned back in kindergarten -- that old saying gets some scientific support in a new study by researchers at Canada's Université de Montréal and Université Sainte-Anne. "We've known for years that getting off to a good start in kindergarten leads to better achievement over the long-term," said lead author Caroline Fitzpatrick, an assistant professor

Link between food insecurity and unengaged distance learning

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

xx How do you feel when you're hungry? Are you at your best? A new study by the UTSA Urban Education Institute (UEI) found that food insecure students in San Antonio struggled with distance learning and academic engagement more than their peers. The findings linking food insecurity and learning signify how hunger and larger issues of family instability during the ongoing pandemic threaten student

Teens who participate in extracurriculars, get less screen time, have better mental health

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

xx A new study from UBC researchers finds that teens, especially girls, have better mental health when they spend more time taking part in extracurricular activities, like sports and art, and less time in front of screens. The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine , found that spending less than two hours per day of recreational screen time (such as browsing the internet, playing vi

Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: It Is Not Who You Teach, but How You Teach

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

xx This study uses standardized end-of-course knowledge assessments to examine student learning during the disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Examining seven economics courses taught at four US R1 institutions, the authors find that students performed substantially worse, on average, in Spring 2020 when compared to Spring or Fall 2019. They find no evidence that the effect was driven b

Participation in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Results in Higher Grades

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d

Opportunities for large numbers of undergraduates to engage in authentic research experiences are limited in many large public institutions. These large public institutions serve the vast majority of students who are historically underrepresented in STEM fields, such as first-generation, low-income students of color. Although a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) is one scalable

Positive student-teacher relationships benefit students' long-term health, study finds

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

Teens who have good, supportive relationships with their teachers enjoy better health as adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. Perhaps surprisingly, although friendships are important to adolescents, the study did not find the same link between good peer relationships and students' health in adulthood. "This research suggests that improving students' r

Potential Impact of COVID-19 School Closures on Academic Achievement

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 8d

As the COVID-19 pandemic upended the 2019–2020 school year, education systems scrambled to meet the needs of students and families with little available data on how school closures may impact learning. I This study produced a 

 Education Research Report