To tackle the growing challenges facing our societies, such as climate change, we need to understand scientific knowledge and methods. Developing scientific literacy in schools is therefore necessary. To do so, we need to be able to assess competencies associated with scientific literacy. Secondly, educators need meaningful tools which can be…

Mind-wandering during reading is often associated with worse comprehension performance. Research suggests that metacognitive competences (i.e., the knowledge about as well as monitoring and regulation of one's own cognitive processes) are positively related to reading performance and may play a role in the prevalence of mind-wandering. However,…

Understanding that hypothesis testing is aimed at seeking information rather than producing desirable outcomes is indispensable for designing informative experiments. This study investigated the developmental course of information seeking compared to producing an effect in young children. In a between-subjects design, 4- to 6-year-olds (N = 109)…

Dimensional comparisons between math and verbal achievements affect students' academic self-concepts by increasing (decreasing) students' self-concept in the subject with their intraindividual higher (lower) achievement. Dimensional comparison theory assumes that dimensional comparisons are also triggered by external influences. The present…

Despite ongoing global efforts to combat discrimination, hate speech is a growing problem in many countries. Hate speech is also widespread among young people and thus also affects schools. Because of the negative consequences of hate speech for the targeted individuals and for society in general, schools and teachers are generally encouraged to…

We investigated how students' strategic knowledge about situational (pictorial) drawings and mathematical (schematic) drawings affects drawing accuracy and modeling competencies in the domain of geometry. We conducted a pre-posttest experimental study with 473 students in grade 9. Students were randomly assigned to one of three treatment…

Objective: Mental Health Literacy (MHL) might play an important role in preventing depression. This study assessed the MHL level for depression of university students and its association with intentions toward preventive actions against depression. Participants: University students (n = 315) were surveyed online. Methods: MHL level and group…

The ability to reflect on teaching is crucially important for the professionalization of trainee teachers. The fostering of reflection processes -- by means of the systematic analysis of one's own and others' teaching from subject-specific, methodological, and educational science perspectives -- plays a central role in a continuing and consecutive…

This research investigates whether a short mindfulness exercise can reduce children's psychophysiological stress reactions in the face of a performance task. To answer the question, a randomized controlled trial with 106 elementary school children, aged between 5 and 11 years, was conducted. An intervention group completed a two-minute breathing…

The ability to compose argumentative essays of sufficient quality is tantamount to the aptitude of thinking independently and critically, which is vital to playing an active part in one's society. Thus, the aim of teaching students this skill is incorporated into virtually every secondary school curriculum in almost all democratic countries around…

We examined whether German adolescents who participated in an adapted 8-week school-based intervention, the "Identity Project," reported greater changes in heritage and global identities and perceptions of classroom cultural climate. We used a longitudinal, wait-list control design pooling eight classrooms across the school years of…

Evolutionary anthropologists commonly describe humans as a highly cooperative species, based on our evolved socio-cognitive capacities. However, students and the general public may not necessarily share this view about our species. At the same time, fostering our ability to cooperate is considered a key foundation for achieving sustainable…

Developing students' systems thinking is an often-posed demand in education for sustainable development (ESD) and science literacy. Several studies have shown that systems thinking can be fostered in students of different education levels. Therefore, science teachers who are required to teach ESD-relevant topics should be proficient in systems…

Experimental skills should be acquired by learners at school and university alike. To promote experimental skills, various approaches exist within a spectrum between implicit and explicit instruction. Regarding these instructional approaches, numerous findings are available which predominantly relate to pupils. It is an open question whether it is…

Fostering peer interaction and shared learning is an important aim of inclusive instruction. However, it has not been established whether it is possible to offer explicit and intensive support for low achievers in inclusive settings. This longitudinal study examined whether a structured program that includes cooperative learning fosters…