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Research -- StepUp to Learn

NeuroNet goes to China and Taiwan!

by StepUp Staff

NeuroNet goes to China and Taiwan!

Recently, we traveled to China and Taiwan to share NeuroNet programs with schools in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Taipei.
Posted in Education

Separate brain systems cooperate during learning, study finds

by StepUp Staff

Separate brain systems cooperate during learning, study finds

Reinforcement learning and working memory, previously interpreted as working independently or as competing with each other in the learning process, may actually work together as people learn new tasks.
Posted in Attention, Education, Engagement, Memory

A “million word gap” for children who aren’t read to at home

by StepUp Staff

A “million word gap” for children who aren’t read to at home

Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to, a new study found.
Posted in Education, Language, Social Development, Speech & Language

Elementary school student support leads to lower high school dropout

by StepUp Staff

Elementary school student support leads to lower high school dropout

Elementary-school students who participated in a comprehensive support intervention in the Boston public school district had about half the odds of dropping out of high school as students not in the intervention.
Posted in Education, Engagement, Health & Wellness, Motivation, School Readiness, Social Development

HKBU scholar invents new tangram games to test children's visual-related literacy skills

by StepUp Staff

HKBU scholar invents new tangram games to test children's visual-related literacy skills

A new series of tangrams games helps identify children with early visual processing difficulties and can be used to improve reading, writing and word identification skills at an early age.
Posted in Education, Reading Skills, Speech & Language

Report examines origins and nature of 'math anxiety'

by StepUp Staff

Report examines origins and nature of 'math anxiety'

Research reveals that teachers and parents may inadvertently play a role in a child's development of 'math anxiety' and that girls tend to be more affected than boys.
Posted in Education, Engagement, Mathematics, Motivation, School Readiness, Social Skills

How the arts can help students who struggle most

by StepUp Staff

How the arts can help students who struggle most

Researchers show that using artistic activities -- such as rhyming, movement, and drawing, -- helps students retain more of what they learn.

Posted in Education, Engagement, Memory, Reading Skills, Speech & Language

Writing bursts: How important are spelling accuracy and handwriting speed?

by StepUp Staff

Writing bursts: How important are spelling accuracy and handwriting speed?

Researchers from the University of London found that spelling accuracy, handwriting speed, and frequent pausing for misspellings were significant predictors of the length and quality of children's writing bursts.
Posted in Education, Handwriting, Neuroscience, Speech & Language

How much does culture influence young children's math abilities?

by StepUp Staff

How much does culture influence young children's math abilities?

Researchers from Japan's Hokkaido University compare 6 year old children’s ease with oral and written math problems to see if children's accuracy and comfort with math would be determined by their culture.

Posted in Education, Mathematics, School Readiness

Intellectual Curiosity and Confidence Help Children Take on Math and Reading

by StepUp Staff

Intellectual Curiosity and Confidence Help Children Take on Math and Reading

Characteristics related to openness, such as intellectual curiosity and confidence, made children more adept to take on math and reading than characteristics describing conscientiousness, such as diligence and perseverance.
Posted in Attention, Education, Engagement, Mathematics, Memory, Motivation, Neuroscience, Reading Skills, School Readiness

The powerful impact of real-world learning experiences for kids

by StepUp Staff

The powerful impact of real-world learning experiences for kids

Researchers found that 4- to 9-year-old kids knew more about how animals are classified after a four-day camp at a zoo. It wasn’t that children who attended just knew more facts about animals, the researchers noted. The camp actually improved how they organized what they knew – a key component of learning.

Posted in Attention, Education, Engagement, Memory, Motivation

Boys with social difficulties most susceptible to early substance use, study finds

by StepUp Staff

Boys with social difficulties most susceptible to early substance use, study finds

Varying patterns of social, emotional and learning problems are associated with increases in verbal, physical and relational aggression and substance use among adolescent boys, according to a new study led by social work professor Kevin Tan.
Posted in Education, Social Skills