Working memory training (WMT) for children has received great attention in recent scientific investigations. However, evidence on program efficacy is still sparse. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a WMT software program ("Programa de Ativação da Memória de Trabalho" [PRAMEMT]) in promoting gains on cognitive and school…

The scorching, arid northeastern state of Ceará, Brazil has long been known for growing cashews and coconuts. Now, it's defied expectations by cultivating one of the world's best public elementary school systems, despite high rates of poverty. How Sobral transformed its public school system and attained near-universal literacy offers lessons for…

Context: The literature on mindsets is now well-established in showing the impact of student interventions on their school achievement (Blackwell et al., 2007). But there is much less evidence on the effects of mindset interventions on teachers. Studies have analyzed changes in teacher beliefs (Deemer 2004; Rattan, Good, and Dweck 2012;…

In order to broaden findings beyond high-income countries, this study used path models to test associations between parent involvement and student achievement in Brazil using a 2017 census of public school students in fifth grade (N = 2,167,729, M[subscript age] = 11, 49 % female, 44% "Parda," 29% White, 11% Black, 3% Asian, 3%…

This paper evaluates the influence of the classmates' age on individual academic achievement. The identification strategy explores a mechanism for the division of classes based on age homogeneity, with cutoff value determined by the Brazilian law of age at school entry. Fuzzy regression discontinuity estimates a local average treatment effect of…

What type of items, keyed positively or negatively, makes social-emotional skill or personality scales more valid? The present study examines the different criterion validities of true- and false-keyed items, before and after correction for acquiescence. The sample included 12,987 children and adolescents from 425 schools of the State of São Paulo…

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2023, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (WIARS), held in International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2023, held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 22 to 24 of April…

Principals (policy makers) have debated the progress in U.S. student performance for a half century or more. Informing these conversations, survey agents have administered seven million psychometrically linked tests in math and reading in 160 waves to national probability samples of selected cohorts born between 1954 and 2007. This study is the…

This narrative inquiry highlights the experiences of self-identified Soka educators in a PreK-12th grade school in São Paulo, Brazil, as well as volunteers through a program called "Soka Education in Action." Through their narratives, the role of care in value-creating education is explored as a critical aspect of education that supports…

This report uses the most recent Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data, primarily from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 and Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 cycles, and seeks to evaluate the Ibero-American, countries where Spanish or Portuguese are the predominant…

Humans are born with the natural ability to gain skills through play. Children learn about social norms, roles and responsibilities, and language through curiosity-driven, playful interactions and activities. Learning through play harnesses the power of children's imagination and inspires active engagement with the material. The Center for…

Pearson sought to explore whether the students in schools in Brazil using the NAME learning system (an integrated program that encompasses a school's whole educational environment) demonstrate higher achievement in Portuguese and math, compared to those not exposed to NAME, as measured by national achievement assessments. This Research Report…

Executive functions (EF) can be promoted by classroom interventions. Our study investigated whether (a) an intervention conducted by teachers improves EF in children; (b) there are effects on behaviour and academic achievement; and (c) there are stable benefits in a one-year follow-up. Fifty-eight first-graders, divided into experimental (EG = 28)…

This paper estimates the impact of the use of structured methods on the quality of education for students in primary public school in Brazil. Structured methods encompass a range of pedagogical and managerial instruments applied in the educational system. In recent years, several municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo have contracted out private…

Social skills are specific behaviors that individuals exhibit in order to successfully complete social tasks whereas social competence represents judgments by significant others that these social tasks have been successfully accomplished. The present investigation identified the best sociobehavioral predictors obtained from different raters…