It has been found that participation in informal, year-long STEM programmes for "primary school children" encourages further STEM learning and motivates STEM career aspirations. To date, no previous research has investigated such programmes. The study's goals were to collect and analyse demographic data about the 3rd-6th grade…

This study examined children's self-assessment of their prosociality, relative to average peers, in situations where the recipient is described as "needy" versus "not needy" (at a school of average socioeconomic level in south Israel; N = 158; aged 6-12 years; 51% males, December-May 2021). The results show that older children…

Knowing about emotions is vital for children's school adjustment, well-being, and future social relationships. Whereas experiencing emotions is a universal psychological process at the biological level, how emotions are categorized and communicated is shaped by culture. Most studies have investigated cultural differences in emotion (knowledge) in…

The study aims to examine changes over time in school victimization and climate in Israel, and whether these changes varied between Jewish and Arab schools and schools with different SES. A secondary analysis of the Ministry of Education database of structured student surveys regarding victimization and climate, was conducted during 2008-2019. All…

The contact hypothesis, initially formulated in 1954 to delineate conditions conducive to addressing entrenched intergroup differences, has undergone continuous evolution. Originally based on face-to-face interactions, it began incorporating virtual contact from 2006 (Amichai-Hamburger & McKenna). The subsequent proliferation of blended…

Fostering technology-enhanced science learning in elementary schools is an ongoing challenge as young students are not always motivated to engage with science lessons. The use of technology, such as digital sensors and data recorders, has been found to result in higher engagement with science. However, the association between technology-enhanced…

The aim of the study encompasses three primary objectives: (1) To examine the capability of children of varying ages to reproduce increasingly complex rhythms through hand-clapping and drumming; (2) To explore the ability of children of different ages to notate increasingly complex rhythms; and (3) To investigate the impact of age on children's…

Motivational questionnaires (MRP-R and MWP) were used to investigate reading and writing motivation (self-concept and value) among 252 Hebrew-speaking students in third to sixth grade. CFA for reading and writing motivation revealed a close to reasonable fit, for the total sample and by gender. It yielded a low fit across the four grade levels.…

Within an Orff-based program implemented in Israel, this mixed-methods study examined the effects of age on emerging rhythmic literacy in children. Participants (N = 132) were kindergarteners (n = 45) and first-graders (n = 87) aged 4 to 7.8 years. The participants performed a rhythm entitled "Rhythm-A" through the body and instrumental…

This study investigates the effects of a mindfulness-based program implemented by teachers for their primary school students in the Arab sector of Israel. The study included 958 fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students, with 659 completing the program and 299 students serving as controls. The effectiveness of the program was assessed through…

Shyness is a form of social isolation and withdrawal stemming from concerns about social judgment, particularly during new situations or tests. Shy students are afraid of interacting with others, leading to problems and frustration at school. Teachers play an important role in identifying and helping these students. The research objective was to…

Purpose: Minority teachers is a growing phenomenon that is encouraged as part of a quest to diversify teaching staff. Among minority teachers, there exists a group of boundary-crossing teachers whose "otherness" contrasts with the different student population and/or staffroom composition. The study aims to examine parent, teacher and…

The present research examined helping relations among Israeli Arab and Jewish parents by focusing on collaboration between parents and teachers, parental self-efficacy, and help-seeking orientations from teachers: autonomy, dependency, and avoidance of help-seeking. The difference between the two main forms of help--autonomy and…

Relative clauses (RCs) are complex syntactic structures because they consist of multiple clauses and involve syntactic movement. RCs are known as a reliable clinical marker of syntactic impairment across many different languages and populations. Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle with the comprehension and production of RCs,…

The present study describes the successful operation of an online forum designed to answer questions posted by Israeli elementary-school children during an emergency exercise. Analysis of 212 posts revealed that being younger predict higher levels of emotional intensity. Younger children are 3.561 times more likely than older children to have an…