School-based outdoor learning is an experiential learning approach that involves the integration of the natural environment with the learning process. This study focused on investigating the effect of a school-based outdoor learning experience on mood among 83 sixth grade students. The researcher found a positive correlation between time spent…

To promote pro-environmental behavior (PEB), it is crucial to understand the drivers behind it. Studies indicate that, in addition to environmental attitudes and nature activities, interest in nature drives people to engage in PEB. However, the relationship between interest in nature and PEB is still greatly understudied among adolescents even…

Reading skills are considered an important lever for success in school and active participation in society. They are positively associated with reading motivation, reading self-concept, reading frequency, and behavioral engagement in reading (e.g., time, effort), variables that tend to decline as students move from elementary to secondary school.…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a critical 21st -century skill. In this paper, we examine SRL through the lens of the searching, monitoring, assessing, rehearsing, and translating (SMART) schema for learning operations. We use microanalysis to measure SRL behaviors as students interact with a computer-based learning environment, Betty's Brain. We…

Aim: This study gathered views of 10 to 12-years-old pupils about their play experiences before and after transition to secondary school, comparing access to their right to play. Method: A multiple-case study design was used to gather views of six Year 6 primary pupils and six Year 7 secondary pupils living in the same community in the United…

Using drawings and accompanying written and oral explanations by third- and sixth-grade students, this phenomenological study is an examination of the children's perception of the ideal environmental school. Analysis of the 128 features in the drawing yielded four categories: (1) physical -- with natural areas and outdoor learning, (2) cognitive…

Little has changed about the physical properties of public schooling in the United States since the industrial revolution--desks, rows, and teachers at the front of the room (McCoy, 2007). Foote (2019) has argued there is no better way to create a more modern learning space than to do a complete redesign. Given the dramatic redefinition of…

This dissertation examined how the perception of the achievement-emotion of boredom impacted the academic agency of sixth-grade mathematics students. The study for this dissertation was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through an explanatory sequential mixed methods study, sixth-grade mathematics student volunteers from a Midwest middle…

Studies show that despite many programs with intentions to create a positive and inclusive learning environment, bullying and exclusion is still a challenge. This article investigates the following: (a) What challenges are there in the psychosocial learning environment in primary school, from a student perspective, and (b) what strategies can…

The purpose of this sequential mixed methods study was to examine the relationship between classroom climate and student achievement of middle school students. A purposeful sample of 428 middle school students (6th-8th grade) from a large southeastern Texas school district were administered the "Learning Environment Inventory" (LEI) to…

School closure and distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic have posed several challenges to children. Drawing upon the social--ecological framework, in this preliminary study, we tested what factors may help to explain students' difficulties with distance learning during COVID-19 lockdown, by analyzing family, school, and individual…

In the present study, we explore the perceptions of urban middle school students' representations of nature using participatory photography and their nature connectedness. Preadolescents (N = 108, 6th grade, age 11-13) were asked to take a photo of what nature is to them and write a short description of what is in the image. In a mixed method…

One of the negative consequences of bullying in schools is its adverse effect on students' sense of safety. Previous studies yielded mixed results and a nonlinear relationship between bullying and students' sense of safety and pointed to the need for revealing possible mediating and moderating factors in order to better understand this…

Fostering creative thinking and promoting metacognitive processes are two major goals of 21st -century education. Recent research has pinpointed the essential role of meta-creativity in the process of creative thinking. Nevertheless, the concept of meta-creativity has not been widely adopted. The purpose of the present study is, therefore,…

Background: Children's academic achievement is considerably influenced by genetic factors, which rarely operate independently of environmental influences such as teachers' behaviour. Praise and punitive discipline are commonly used management strategies by teachers. However, their effects on the genetic expression of children's academic…