The emotion of boredom has sparked considerable interest in research on teaching and learning, but boredom during tests and exams has not yet been examined. Based on the control-value theory of achievement emotions, we hypothesized that students may experience significant levels of boredom during testing ("test boredom"; Hypothesis 1)…

Nature-based interventions (NBI) have demonstrated positive effects on a range of student outcomes, including enhanced prosocial behaviors, decreased levels of stress, and improved mood and concentration. Further, school-aged children's participation in NBIs supports students' reconnection with the natural world. Although schools represent an…

The quality of teacher-student interactions has important implications for students' learning and development. The high demands placed on teachers can contribute to teacher stress and burnout, which have negative consequences on teacher well-being, retention, classroom climate, and instruction, impacting student outcomes. Research suggests that…

Background: Children's ability to remain focused on a task despite the presence of emotionally salient distractors in the environment is crucial for successful learning and academic performance. Aims: This study investigated first-graders' allocation of attentional resources in the presence of distracting emotional, school-related social…

This study investigated associations between quality of the teacher-student relationship (closeness and conflict) and teachers' (N = 48) visual focus of attention in Grade 1 classrooms in fall and spring, and it explored to what extent students' (N = 650) gender and task-avoidant behaviour moderated the associations. Results showed first that…

The authors investigated the relationships among effortful control and frustration and literacy proficiency of preadolescence to determine which subcomponent of effortful control and/or emotion might be critical in achieving academic success. The participants included 72 children recruited from a larger longitudinal study. Children's frustration,…

Mindfulness practices are increasingly used in classrooms to enhance the well-being dimensions of learning environments. New Zealand policy documents draw on a bicultural perspective that promotes a holistic framing of well-being. This paper will consider the transformative possibilities of a mindfulness-based breathing intervention in two New…

We evaluated whether narrating anger-provoking events promoted learning from those events, as compared with other responses to anger, and whether the effectiveness of narrative depended on age. In addition, we tested relations between anger reduction and learning and, in a subset of participants, between narrative quality and learning. A sample of…

Many people have worried about possible adverse effects of high-stakes testing on socioemotional outcomes. This article uses a difference-in-differences approach to investigate the effects of the introduction of high-stakes testing via the No Child Left Behind Act on socioemotional outcomes. Data are from the Early Childhood Longitudinal…

This paper presents the results of preliminary research on the assessment of reasoning abilities in primary school poor achievers vs. normal achievers using computer game tasks. Subjects were evaluated by means of cognitive assessment on logical abilities and academic skills. The aim of this study is to better understand the relationship between…

There is increasing interest in the use of mindfulness-based approaches to assist school personnel in navigating challenges inherent in their profession. Most research investigating the influence of mindfulness-based programs uses statistical approaches to understand program impact. The present study addressed a significant gap in existing…

Gratitude is essential to social life and well-being. Although research with youth populations has gained momentum recently, only two gratitude interventions have been conducted in youth, targeting mostly adolescents. In the current research, we tested a new intervention for promoting gratitude among the youngest children targeted to date.…

We investigated whether being poorly skilled in reading contributes to children's reported feelings of anger, distractibility, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and social isolation. Data were analyzed from a longitudinal subsample of children (N = 3,308) participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort. Multilevel logistic…

A recent meta-analysis found that across studies individual differences in aspects of children's emotionality predict social status [Dougherty, L.R., (2006). Children's emotionality and social status: a meta-analytic review. Social Development, 15, 394-417.]. In the present study we extended these findings by examining the emotion of interest and…