Cooperative Learning for a More Sustainable Education: Gender Equity in the Learning of Maths

Education and gender equity are of high priority in the list of objectives when looking to achieve sustainable development; however, various studies have analysed that these objectives are far from being reached. The goal of this paper was to investigate the influence that cooperative learning has on academic performance and on the gender gap in the subject of Maths. A total of 14,122 students between the ages of 10 and 19 took part in the study. The hypothesis posed was that gender differences observed in Maths would significantly be reduced in those classrooms in which cooperative learning had a higher degree of implementation. In the results, the analysis of the regression of means and gradients showed that gender predicts Maths results in a positive manner (estimated beta = 0.12, p < 0.01) and interacts with cooperative learning by taking a negative value (−0.26) and with an associated critical value less than 0.05. In other words, the relation between cooperative learning and Math grades is significantly higher in males than in females. However, females achieve better marks, which generates a certain relation of equity. These results prove that cooperative learning can reduce gender differences in the learning of Maths.

Gender Differences in Academic Efficacy across STEM Fields

Cultural processes can reduce self-selection into math and science fields, but it remains unclear how confidence in computer science develops, where women are currently the least represented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Few studies evaluate both computer skills and self-assessments of skill. In this paper, we evaluate gender differences in efficacy across three STEM fields using a data set of middle schoolers, a particularly consequential period for academic pathways. Even though girls and boys do not significantly differ in terms of math grades and have similar levels of computer skill, the gender gap in computer efficacy is twice as large as the gap for math. We offer support for disaggregation of STEM fields, so the unique meaning making around computing can be addressed.

Points, Points, and More Points: High School Grade Inflation and Deflation when Homework and Employability Scores are Incorporated

With a strong movement of schools starting to use standards-based grading practices, one of the aims of this study was to learn if traditional grading practices communicate grades that are accurate based on the students’ learning of the course objectives. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which employability and homework scores within a traditional points- and percentages-weighted grading model inflates or deflates grades. This study analyzed 795 students’ semester math grades at an urban high school to see if, and to what extent, students’ grades were inflated or deflated due to including homework and employability scores in the grade. Final grades, which included homework and employability points, were compared to each student’s overall summative assessment scores to determine grade inflation or deflation. The study also analyzed how changing grading practices to eliminate homework and employability points would impact the number of students that ultimately passed or failed the course. Results of this study indicated 336 (43.2%) students had their grades inflated or deflated by 5% or more and 97 (12.6%) students had their grades inflated or deflated by 10% or more, which is equivalent to moving up or down a full letter grade. School leaders should consider separately communicating academic and non-academic factors to minimize grade inflation/deflation in order to make decisions based upon grades more justifiable.

How Classmates’ Gender Stereotypes Affect Students’ Math Self-Concepts: A Multilevel Analysis

The present research is the first to examine how students’ individual and their classmates’ math-related gender stereotypes, endorsing that math would be a typically male domain, relate to students’ math self-concepts. To this end, data of N = 1,424 secondary school students from Germany were analyzed using multilevel analyses. As expected, strong individual beliefs in the math-related gender stereotype were related to lower math self-concepts for girls, but to higher math self-concepts for boys. Moreover, classmates’ shared beliefs in this stereotype showed a negative relation to girls’ self-concepts, whereas no significant relation between classmates’ shared beliefs and boys’ self-concepts was found. These relations also persisted after controlling for students’ math grades and age. In sum, the results demonstrated that gender stereotypes shared by students’ classmates can have a substantial impact on students’ math self-concepts, beyond their individual gender stereotypes. This finding emphasizes the significance of classmates as important socializing peers in the process of students’ self-concept formation.

Neural evidence for cognitive reappraisal as a strategy to alleviate the effects of math anxiety

Math anxiety (MA) describes feelings of tension, apprehension and fear that interfere with math performance. High MA (HMA) is correlated with negative consequences, including lower math grades, and ultimately an avoidance of quantitative careers. Given these adverse consequences, it is essential to explore effective intervention strategies to reduce MA. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we investigated the efficacy of cognitive reappraisal as a strategy to alleviate the effects of MA. Cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy, has been shown to decrease negative affect and amygdala responsivity to stimuli that elicit negative emotion. We compared a reappraisal strategy to participants’ natural strategy for solving math problems and analogies. We found that HMA individuals showed an increase in accuracy and a decrease in negative affect during the reappraisal condition as compared to the control condition. During math reappraise trials, increased activity in a network of regions associated with arithmetic correlated with improved performance for HMA individuals. These results suggest that increased engagement of arithmetic regions underlies the performance increases we identify in HMA students when they use reappraisal to augment their math performance. Overall, cognitive reappraisal is a promising strategy for enhancing math performance and reducing anxiety in math anxious individuals.

Are weight status and weight perception associated with academic performance among youth?

Background Emerging evidence suggests perceptions of being overweight account for many of the psychosocial consequences commonly associated with obesity. Previous research suggests an obesity achievement gap, yet limited research has explored weight perception in association with academic performance. Moreover, underweight perceptions have typically been excluded from research. The current study examined how BMI classification and weight perception relate to academic performance in a large cohort of youth. Methods We used cross-sectional survey data from 61,866 grade 9–12 students attending the 122 Canadian schools that participated in Year 6 (2017/2018) of the COMPASS study. Mixed effect regression models were used to examine associations between students’ BMI classification and weight perceptions and their math and English/French course grades. All models were stratified by sex and adjusted for sociodemographic covariates and school clustering. Results For English/French grades, males and females with overweight or underweight perceptions were less likely to achieve higher grades than their peers with perceptions of being at “about the right weight”, controlling for BMI and covariates. For math grades, females with overweight perceptions, and all students with underweight perceptions, were less likely to achieve higher grades than their peers with “about the right weight” perceptions. All students with BMIs in the obesity range were less likely to report grades of 60% or higher than their peers with “normal-weight” BMIs, controlling for weight perception and covariates. Overweight BMIs were predictive of lower achievement in females for English/French grades, and in males for math grades, relative to “normal-weight” BMIs. Results for students that did not respond to the weight and weight perception items resembled those for obesity BMI and overweight/underweight perceptions, respectively. Conclusions Overall, this study demonstrates that an obesity achievement gap remains when controlling for students’ perceptions of their weight, and that both underweight and overweight perceptions predict lower academic performance, regardless of BMI classification. Results suggest barriers to academic success exist among youth with larger body sizes, and those with perceptions of deviating from “about the right weight”.

Are weight status and weight perception associated with academic performance among youth?

Background: Emerging evidence suggests perceptions of being overweight account for many of the psychosocial consequences commonly associated with obesity. Previous research suggests an obesity achievement gap, yet limited research has explored weight perception in association with academic performance. Moreover, underweight perceptions have typically been excluded from research. The current study examined how BMI classification and weight perception relate to academic performance in a large cohort of youth.Methods: We used cross-sectional survey data from 61,866 grade 9-12 students attending the 122 Canadian schools that participated in Year 6 (2017/2018) of the COMPASS study. Mixed effect regression models were used to examine associations between students’ BMI classification and weight perceptions and their math and English/French course grades. All models were stratified by sex and adjusted for sociodemographic covariates and school clustering. Results: For English/French grades, males and females with overweight or underweight perceptions were less likely to achieve higher grades than their peers with perceptions of being at “about the right weight”, controlling for BMI and covariates. For math grades, females with overweight perceptions, and all students with underweight perceptions, were less likely to achieve higher grades than their peers with “about the right weight” perceptions. All students with BMIs in the obesity range were less likely to report grades of 60% or higher than their peers with “normal-weight” BMIs, controlling for weight perception and covariates. Overweight BMIs were predictive of lower achievement in females for English/French grades, and in males for math grades, relative to “normal-weight” BMIs. Results for students that did not respond to the weight and weight perception items resembled those for obesity BMI and overweight/underweight perceptions, respectively.Conclusions: Overall, this study demonstrates that an obesity achievement gap remains when controlling for students’ perceptions of their weight, and that both underweight and overweight perceptions predict lower academic performance, regardless of BMI classification. Results suggest barriers to academic success exist among youth with larger body sizes, and those with perceptions of deviating from “about the right weight”.

Examining the relationship between adolescent health behaviors, brain health, and academic achievement using fNIRS

Background: Several adolescent health behaviors have been hypothesized to improve academic performance via their beneficial impact on cognitive control and functional aspects of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Specifically, exercise, restorative sleep, and proper diet are thought to improve PFC function, while substance abuse is thought to reduce it. Few studies have examined the relationships among all of these in the same sample, while quantifying downstream impacts on academic performance. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to examine the association between lifestyle behaviors and academic performance in a sample of adolescents, and to examine the extent to which activity within the PFC and behavioural indices of inhibition may mediate this relationship. Methods: Sixty-seven adolescents underwent two study sessions five days apart. Sleep and physical activity were measured using wrist-mounted accelerometry; eating habits, substance use and academic achievement were measured by self-report. Prefrontal function was quantified by performance on the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT), and task-related brain activity via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Results: Higher levels of accelerometer-assessed physical activity predicted higher MSIT accuracy scores (β= .321, ρ= 0.019) as well as greater task-related increases in activation within the right dlPFC (β=.008, SE= .004, ρ =.0322). Frequency of fast-food consumption and substance use were both negatively associated with MSIT accuracy scores (β= -.307, ρ= .023) and Math grades (𝛽= -3.702, 𝑆𝐸= 1.563, ρ= .022) respectively. However, these effects were not mediated by indicators of PFC function. Conclusion: Physical activity and eating behaviors predicted better interference task performance in adolescents, with the former mediated by greater task-related increases in right dlPFC activation. Substance use predicted worse Math grades, however, no other reliable effects of health behaviors on academic outcomes were evident.