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Dumont H, Ready DD. On the promise of personalized learning for educational equity. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2023; 8:26. [PMID: 37542046 PMCID: PMC10403572 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-023-00174-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Students enter school with a vast range of individual differences, resulting from the complex interplay between genetic dispositions and unequal environmental conditions. Schools thus face the challenge of organizing instruction and providing equal opportunities for students with diverse needs. Schools have traditionally managed student heterogeneity by sorting students both within and between schools according to their academic ability. However, empirical evidence suggests that such tracking approaches increase inequalities. In more recent years, driven largely by technological advances, there have been calls to embrace students' individual differences in the classroom and to personalize students' learning experiences. A central justification for personalized learning is its potential to improve educational equity. In this paper, we discuss whether and under which conditions personalized learning can indeed increase equity in K-12 education by bringing together empirical and theoretical insights from different fields, including the learning sciences, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. We distinguish between different conceptions of equity and argue that personalized learning is unlikely to result in "equality of outcomes" and, by definition, does not provide "equality of inputs". However, if implemented in a high-quality way, personalized learning is in line with "adequacy" notions of equity, which aim to equip all students with the basic competencies to participate in society as active members and to live meaningful lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Dumont
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
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2
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Kevenaar ST, Dolan CV, Boomsma DI, van Bergen E. Self-control and grit are associated with school performance mainly because of shared genetic effects. JCPP ADVANCES 2023; 3:e12159. [PMID: 37753153 PMCID: PMC10519738 DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background By combining the classical twin design with regression analysis, we investigated the role of two non-cognitive factors, self-control and grit, in the prediction of school performance. We did so at the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental level. Methods Teachers filled out a survey on the twins' school performance (school grades for reading, literacy, and math), self-control (ASEBA self-control scale), and grit (the perseverance aspect) for 4891 Dutch 12-years-old twin pairs (3837 pairs with data for both and 1054 pairs with data for one of the twins). We employed regression analyses to first assess the contributions of self-control and grit to school performance at the phenotypic level, and next at the genetic and environmental level, while correcting for rater (teacher) effects, parental SES, and sex. Results Higher SES was associated with better school performance, self-control, and grit. On average, girls had more self-control and grit than boys. Corrected for sex, SES, and teacher rater effects, genetic factors accounted for 74%, 69%, and 58% of the phenotypic variance of school performance, self-control, and grit, respectively. Phenotypically, self-control and grit explained 28.3% of the variance in school performance. We found that this phenotypic result largely reflected genetic influences. Conclusions Children who have better self-control and are grittier tend to do better in school. Individual differences in these three traits are not correlated because of shared environmental influences, but mainly because of shared genetic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofieke T. Kevenaar
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Conor V. Dolan
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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Sokolowski HM, Levine B. Common neural substrates of diverse neurodevelopmental disorders. Brain 2022; 146:438-447. [PMID: 36299249 PMCID: PMC9924912 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders are categorized and studied according to their manifestations as distinct syndromes. For instance, congenital prosopagnosia and dyslexia have largely non-overlapping research literatures and clinical pathways for diagnosis and intervention. On the other hand, the high incidence of neurodevelopmental comorbidities or co-existing extreme strengths and weaknesses suggest that transdiagnostic commonalities may be greater than currently appreciated. The core-periphery model holds that brain regions within the stable core perceptual and motor regions are more densely connected to one another compared to regions in the flexible periphery comprising multimodal association regions. This model provides a framework for the interpretation of neural data in normal development and clinical disorders. Considering network-level commonalities reported in studies of neurodevelopmental disorders, variability in multimodal association cortex connectivity may reflect a shared origin of seemingly distinct neurodevelopmental disorders. This framework helps to explain both comorbidities in neurodevelopmental disorders and profiles of strengths and weaknesses attributable to competitive processing between cognitive systems within an individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Moriah Sokolowski
- Correspondence may also be addressed to: H. Moriah Sokolowski E-mail: Twitter: https://twitter.com/hm_sokolowski
| | - Brian Levine
- Correspondence to: Brian Levine 3560 Bathurst St, North York, ON M6A 2E1, Canada E-mail: Website: www.LevineLab.ca Twitter: https://twitter.com/briantlevine
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Cherukunnath D, Singh AP. Exploring Cognitive Processes of Knowledge Acquisition to Upgrade Academic Practices. Front Psychol 2022; 13:682628. [PMID: 35602694 PMCID: PMC9120965 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.682628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of cognitive functions follows certain pathways through brain maturation. Concepts taught at school can be reinforced by understanding the related cognitive functions that enhance learning. The cultural and social diversities faced by the education system worldwide can be solved by understanding the unifying cognitive processes of learning. This knowledge can be effectively used to devise better curriculum and training for students. Cognition, conation, and emotional regulation are the main components that determine an individual’s efficiency to deal with various situations. How the brain receives input, perceives, and organizes these information lays the foundation for learning. The objectives of the study were (i) to explore age-group specific inputs for knowledge acquisition, (ii) to relate knowledge organization to the cognitive processes, and (iii) to identify factors that strengthen the knowledge ensemble through subject-domain allied training. The review focused on studies related to elementary school age (below 7 years), middle school age (7–12 years), and high school age (12 years and above). Published journal articles related to the objectives were randomly reviewed to establish a possible relationship. The findings of this review can help to advance student learning practices and instructional strategies. The findings are listed below. (i) Acquisition of knowledge during early childhood is based on sensory-motor integration on which attentional, perceptual, memory, language, and socialization systems develop. As brain development progresses toward adolescence, meta-awareness and social-emotional cognition influence the student learning process. (ii) Knowledge representations can be strengthened by domain-specific training inputs. (iii) Associational integration of the developmental, cognitive, and conative processes are indicators of curriculum strength. (iv) The strengthening of cognitive processes by rerouting through complementary neural circuitry, such as music, arts, real-life-based experiments, and physical exercises, is an effective way to improve child-friendly instructions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anita Puri Singh
- Department of Psychology, Government M L B Girls PG College, Bhopal, Bhopal, India
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von Stumm S, Cave SN, Wakeling P. Persistent association between family socioeconomic status and primary school performance in Britain over 95 years. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2022; 7:4. [PMID: 35443764 PMCID: PMC9021311 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-022-00120-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In Britain and elsewhere, the influence of family socioeconomic status (SES) on education is already evident in primary school, and it persists and increases throughout the school years, with children from impoverished families earning lower grades and obtaining fewer educational qualifications than children from more privileged backgrounds. Reducing the effect of family background on children's education is a pivotal aim of educators, policymakers, and researchers, but the success of their efforts is poorly evidenced to date. Here, we show for the first time that over 95 years in Britain the association between family SES and children's primary school performance has remained stable. Across 16 British population cohorts born between 1921 and 2011 (N = 91,935), we confirmed previous findings of a correlation between family SES and children's school performance of 0.28 [95% Confidence Interval 0.22-0.34], after adjusting for cohort-specific confounders. Contrary to the popular assumption that family background inequality has increased over time, we observed only minimal differences in the association between family SES and school performance across British cohorts. We argue that education policies must prioritize equity in learning outcomes over equality in learning opportunities, if they seek to disrupt the perpetuation of social and economic inequality across generations. We speculate that the influence of family SES on children's education will only noticeably weaken if primary education settings become better equipped to meet and remediate the children's differential learning needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie von Stumm
- Department of Education, University of York, YO10 5DD, Heslington, York, UK.
| | - Sophie Nicole Cave
- Department of Education, University of York, YO10 5DD, Heslington, York, UK
| | - Paul Wakeling
- Department of Education, University of York, YO10 5DD, Heslington, York, UK
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Girard C, Bastelica T, Léone J, Epinat-Duclos J, Longo L, Prado J. Nurturing the Mathematical Brain: Home Numeracy Practices Are Associated With Children's Neural Responses to Arabic Numerals. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:196-211. [PMID: 35108141 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211034498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Disparities in home numeracy environments contribute to variations in children's mathematical skills. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the relation between home numeracy experiences and mathematical learning are unknown. Here, parents of 66 eight-year-olds completed a questionnaire assessing the frequency of home numeracy practices. Neural adaptation to the repetition of Arabic numerals and words was measured in children using functional MRI (n = 50) to assess how sensitive the brain is to the presentation of numerical and nonnumerical information. Disparities in home numeracy practices were related to differences in digit (but not word) processing in a region of the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) that was also related to children's arithmetic fluency. Furthermore, digit-related processing in the IPS influenced the relation between home numeracy practices and arithmetic fluency. Results were consistent with a model hypothesizing that home numeracy practices may affect children's mathematical skills by modulating the IPS response to symbolic numerical information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cléa Girard
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Thomas Bastelica
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Jessica Léone
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Léa Longo
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
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Rea-Sandin G, Oro V, Strouse E, Clifford S, Wilson MN, Shaw DS, Lemery-Chalfant K. Educational attainment polygenic score predicts inhibitory control and academic skills in early and middle childhood. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2021; 20:e12762. [PMID: 34318993 PMCID: PMC8549462 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitory control skills are important for academic outcomes across childhood, but it is unknown whether inhibitory control is implicated in the association between genetic variation and academic performance. This study examined the relationship between a GWAS-based (EduYears) polygenic score indexing educational attainment (EA PGS) and inhibitory control in early (Mage = 3.80 years) and middle childhood (Mage = 9.18 years), and whether inhibitory control in early childhood mediated the relation between EA PGS and academic skills. The sample comprised 731 low-income and racially/ethnically diverse children and their families from the longitudinal early steps multisite study. EA PGS predicted middle childhood inhibitory control (estimate = 0.09, SE = 0.05, p < 0.05) and academic skills (estimate = 0.18, SE = 0.05, p < 0.01) but did not predict early childhood inhibitory control (estimate = 0.08, SE = 0.05, p = 0.11); thus, mediation was not tested. Sensitivity analyses showed that effect sizes were similar across European and African American groups. This study suggests that inhibitory control could serve as a potential mechanism linking genetic differences to educational outcomes.
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Lövdén M, Fratiglioni L, Glymour MM, Lindenberger U, Tucker-Drob EM. Education and Cognitive Functioning Across the Life Span. Psychol Sci Public Interest 2020; 21:6-41. [PMID: 32772803 PMCID: PMC7425377 DOI: 10.1177/1529100620920576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 370] [Impact Index Per Article: 92.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive abilities are important predictors of educational and occupational performance, socioeconomic attainment, health, and longevity. Declines in cognitive abilities are linked to impairments in older adults' everyday functions, but people differ from one another in their rates of cognitive decline over the course of adulthood and old age. Hence, identifying factors that protect against compromised late-life cognition is of great societal interest. The number of years of formal education completed by individuals is positively correlated with their cognitive function throughout adulthood and predicts lower risk of dementia late in life. These observations have led to the propositions that prolonging education might (a) affect cognitive ability and (b) attenuate aging-associated declines in cognition. We evaluate these propositions by reviewing the literature on educational attainment and cognitive aging, including recent analyses of data harmonized across multiple longitudinal cohort studies and related meta-analyses. In line with the first proposition, the evidence indicates that educational attainment has positive effects on cognitive function. We also find evidence that cognitive abilities are associated with selection into longer durations of education and that there are common factors (e.g., parental socioeconomic resources) that affect both educational attainment and cognitive development. There is likely reciprocal interplay among these factors, and among cognitive abilities, during development. Education-cognitive ability associations are apparent across the entire adult life span and across the full range of education levels, including (to some degree) tertiary education. However, contrary to the second proposition, we find that associations between education and aging-associated cognitive declines are negligible and that a threshold model of dementia can account for the association between educational attainment and late-life dementia risk. We conclude that educational attainment exerts its influences on late-life cognitive function primarily by contributing to individual differences in cognitive skills that emerge in early adulthood but persist into older age. We also note that the widespread absence of educational influences on rates of cognitive decline puts constraints on theoretical notions of cognitive aging, such as the concepts of cognitive reserve and brain maintenance. Improving the conditions that shape development during the first decades of life carries great potential for improving cognitive ability in early adulthood and for reducing public-health burdens related to cognitive aging and dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Lövdén
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Laura Fratiglioni
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M. Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany, and London, United Kingdom
| | - Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin
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Malanchini M, Rimfeld K, Allegrini AG, Ritchie SJ, Plomin R. Cognitive ability and education: How behavioural genetic research has advanced our knowledge and understanding of their association. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 111:229-245. [PMID: 31968216 PMCID: PMC8048133 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive ability and educational success predict positive outcomes across the lifespan, from higher earnings to better health and longevity. The shared positive outcomes associated with cognitive ability and education are emblematic of the strong interconnections between them. Part of the observed associations between cognitive ability and education, as well as their links with wealth, morbidity and mortality, are rooted in genetic variation. The current review evaluates the contribution of decades of behavioural genetic research to our knowledge and understanding of the biological and environmental basis of the association between cognitive ability and education. The evidence reviewed points to a strong genetic basis in their association, observed from middle childhood to old age, which is amplified by environmental experiences. In addition, the strong stability and heritability of educational success are not driven entirely by cognitive ability. This highlights the contribution of other educationally relevant noncognitive characteristics. Considering both cognitive and noncognitive skills as well as their biological and environmental underpinnings will be fundamental in moving towards a comprehensive, evidence-based model of education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Malanchini
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom; Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom; Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, United States.
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea G Allegrini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart J Ritchie
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Plomin
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
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Harden KP, Domingue BW, Belsky DW, Boardman JD, Crosnoe R, Malanchini M, Nivard M, Tucker-Drob EM, Harris KM. Genetic associations with mathematics tracking and persistence in secondary school. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2020; 5:1. [PMID: 32047651 PMCID: PMC7002519 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-020-0060-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Maximizing the flow of students through the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pipeline is important to promoting human capital development and reducing economic inequality. A critical juncture in the STEM pipeline is the highly cumulative sequence of secondary school math courses. Students from disadvantaged schools are less likely to complete advanced math courses. Here, we conduct an analysis of how the math pipeline differs across schools using student polygenic scores, which are DNA-based indicators of propensity to succeed in education. We integrated genetic and official school transcript data from over 3000 European-ancestry students from U.S. high schools. We used polygenic scores as a molecular tracer to understand how the flow of students through the high school math pipeline differs in socioeconomically advantaged versus disadvantaged schools. Students with higher education polygenic scores were tracked to more advanced math already at the beginning of high school and persisted in math for more years. Analyses using genetics as a molecular tracer revealed that the dynamics of the math pipeline differed by school advantage. Compared to disadvantaged schools, advantaged schools buffered students with low polygenic scores from dropping out of math. Across all schools, even students with exceptional polygenic scores (top 2%) were unlikely to take the most advanced math classes, suggesting substantial room for improvement in the development of potential STEM talent. These results link new molecular genetic discoveries to a common target of educational-policy reforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | | | - Daniel W. Belsky
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY USA
| | - Jason D. Boardman
- Department of Sociology and Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CA USA
| | - Robert Crosnoe
- Department of Sociology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Margherita Malanchini
- Department of Psychology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Michel Nivard
- Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Kathleen Mullan Harris
- Department of Sociology and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC USA
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van Atteveldt N, Tijsma G, Janssen T, Kupper F. Responsible Research and Innovation as a Novel Approach to Guide Educational Impact of Mind, Brain, and Education Research. MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION SOCIETY 2019; 13:279-287. [PMID: 31749892 PMCID: PMC6867903 DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
We propose a Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework to improve the alignment between mind, brain, and education (MBE) research, the educational practice, and other societal stakeholders. RRI is an approach that has successfully been used in different research fields, but not yet in MBE research. After substantiating the need for, and possibilities of using this framework within MBE research, we report a case study to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of RRI within an MBE context. This case study entails developing an educational intervention to improve learners' sense of agency regarding their own learning processes using neurofeedback. Using RRI, we found that societal stakeholders (teenagers, parents, and teachers) anticipate different potential impacts of this neurotechnology-based intervention than researchers did, enabling us to adapt the intervention according to these perspectives. This example demonstrates that RRI enables researchers to be reflexive and responsive to the stakeholders needs and values, to ultimately improve the educational and societal value of MBE research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nienke van Atteveldt
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology and Institute Learn!Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
| | - Geertje Tijsma
- Faculty of Beta Sciences, Athena InstituteVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
| | - Tieme Janssen
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Developmental Psychology and Institute Learn!Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
| | - Frank Kupper
- Faculty of Beta Sciences, Athena InstituteVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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