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…

The association between prosocial behavior and adolescents' social class--defined as one's parents' position in society assessed in terms of education, income, and occupation status--is far from conclusive and the moderators of the link have not been fully researched. Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development…

Statistical learning is a learning mechanism that does not directly depend on knowledge of a language but predicts language and literacy outcomes for children and adults. Research linking statistical learning and literacy has not addressed a common educational context in primary schools worldwide: children who first learn to read in their second…

Guided by the ecological model of civic development, this study examined the extent to which the growth in children's self-control during middle childhood predicted their civic engagement at age 26 directly and indirectly via their prosociality at age 15. We used data from 1,042 children (50% female, 77% White) in the NICHD Study of Early Child…

The early prediction of math difficulties (MD) is important as it facilitates timely support. MD are multifaceted, and several factors are involved in their manifestation. This makes the accurate early prediction of MD particularly challenging. In the present study, we aim to predict MD in Grade 6 with kindergarten-age (age 6) measures by applying…

The relation between prior knowledge and learning has been investigated in many studies. However, a recent meta-analysis showed that most of these studies suffered from serious methodological shortcomings, as they failed to account for knowledge growth over time, possible ceiling effects for learners with high prior knowledge, moderating effects…

Both early childhood maternal language input and the quality of classroom instruction in elementary school have been shown to be important environmental supports in predicting children's literacy skill development. However, no studies have simultaneously examined these two environmental supports in relation to children's early language skills and…

The literature on school climate, albeit vast, is limited by a scarcity of longitudinal research. This two-wave longitudinal study aims to bridge this gap by (a) assessing, over two school years, the changes in students' perceptions of several dimensions of school climate and (b) exploring the reciprocal longitudinal effects of student perceptions…

This study investigated the mediator role of metacognitive self-regulation strategies in the relationship between students' perceptions of constructivist learning environments and critical thinking dispositions in science. The data were collected through self-report questionnaires from 678 Turkish seventh-grade students. Path analysis showed that…

A growing body of research demonstrates that school climate is associated with adolescent mental health. Much of the extant literature have focused on identifying risk factors for adverse mental health outcomes, whereas much less work has been done examining factors that are important to foster adolescents' strengths and thereby increase the…

Open-ended learning environments (OELEs) allow students to freely interact with the content and to discover important principles and concepts of the learning domain on their own. However, only some students possess the necessary skills for efficient and effective exploration. Guidance in the form of targeted interventions or feedback therefore has…

The purpose of this research was to examine relationship between the eighth-grade gifted students' perceptions of science learning environment constructive learning environment perception (CLEP) and their motivations motivation to learn science (MLS) to learn science with their intellectual risk-taking (IRT) and science achievement (SA). For this…

Latent classes of effective and non-effective Algebra I teachers were established using measurements of teacher promoted engagement, teacher promoted understanding, and classroom management from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project (MET Project) database. Historically, robust measures of effective teaching exist in the literature; however,…

Positive perceptions of school climate are associated with lower frequency of peer victimization and aggression in children. Understanding "how" school climate influences aggression and victimization is essential to guiding school-level interventions to enhance character strengths such as social responsibility. In this short-term…

Cross-national studies consistently reveal that bullying is a pervasive problem in schools and associated with a multitude of deleterious outcomes. The present dissertation conducted two studies to further provide insight into this complex phenomenon and facilitate the development of effective bullying prevention programs. Youth involved in…