Background: Internet documents are characterised by their non-linear hyperlink structure, which allows for more flexible reading, at the cost of higher cognitive loads. Linear text reading comprehension skills contribute to hypertext comprehension (either directly or through its impact on navigation behaviours) but cannot fully account for its…

Phonemic awareness (PA) refers to the ability to reflect on and manipulate phonemes. The development of the ability to become aware of and conduct mental operations on phonemes might involve higher-order cognitive processes, such as executive functions (EFs), which help modulate attention to goal-relevant information and support behavioral…

The ability to efficiently compare number symbols, such as digits, is associated with mathematics competence across the lifespan. Performance on symbolic number comparison tasks differ across age groups; young students who are developing fluency with digits improve on symbolic number comparison, and performance is better in adults than children.…

Collaborative problem solving (CPS) has been shown to both engage and benefit students' learning of mathematics. However, there is evidence that group work is not always easy to facilitate, in part because educators lack details about learners' engagement during group work: the processes of problem solving involved, and how these are engaged. In…

This study examined the effects of cognitively challenging physical activity games on students' executive functions and situational interest in physical education. Participants were 144 fourth- and fifth-grade students (75 boys, 69 girls) from four elementary schools. A four-group, repeated measures, cross-over quasi-experimental design was used…

A renovation incorporated Innovative Learning Environments' design principles. The exploratory study used a Basic Mixed Method, Convergent Parallel Research Design. Behavioral observations and photographic tracing, two surveys (pre- and post-intervention), interviews, and instrument testing. Overall findings: (a) students and educators are excited…

This study compared the effects of three different types of cognitively challenging physical activity games on students' executive functions and situational interest. Participants were 140 students from four fourth-grade and four fifth-grade classes of four elementary schools. One fourth- and one fifth-grade class from each school were randomly…

Mathematical problems can be divided into two types, namely, process-open and process-constrained problems. Solving these two types of problems may require different cognitive mechanisms. However, there has been only one study that investigated the differences of the cognitive abilities in process-open and process-constrained problem solving, and…

The authors investigated the roles of reading fluency in mediating and moderating the relation between executive functions and reading comprehension. Linguistically diverse students (n = 106) were assessed on multiple measures of reading fluency at the passage and word levels, reading comprehension, and executive functions in grade 7 and again in…

Learning to write is one of the great challenges children face in primary grades, requiring both transcription skills (handwriting and spelling) and executive functions (EFs; working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility). Although this claim is widely accepted, the field suffers from some limitations, including few longitudinal…

The present study had two aims. First, we set out to evaluate the structure of processing speed in children by comparing five alternative models: two conceptual models (a unitary model, a complexity model) and three methodological models (a stimulus material model, an output response model, and a timing modality model). Second, we then used the…

Objective: To evaluate support for three hypotheses about the etiology of adolescent-onset ADHD symptoms: (1) a "cool" cognitive load hypothesis, (2) a "hot" rewards processing hypothesis, and (3) a trauma exposure hypothesis. Method: Participants (N=50) were drawn from two public high schools in a culturally diverse…

Substantial research has identified the negative health outcomes associated with bullying for adolescent victims. Researchers have examined expressive writing as a possible method by which to decrease violence among adolescents. Results of these studies, however, suggest that expressive writing is associated with positive, negative, and neutral…

Recent studies suggest that the relation between nonsymbolic magnitude processing skills and math competence is mediated by symbolic number processing. However, less is known about whether mapping between nonsymbolic and symbolic magnitude representations also mediates that relation, and whether the mediating role of symbolic number processing is…

The purpose of the current study was to understand the association between bullying experiences (i.e., bullying, victimization, and defending) and social, emotional, and cognitive factors. The social factor was social skills (i.e., empathy, assertion, cooperation, responsibility); the emotional factor was emotional difficulties (i.e., personal…