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Pedagogy - 26.07.2022

New AI system using light to learn associatively
New AI uses associative learning techniques rather than AI's traditional neural networks to challenge the conventional wisdom that artificial neurons and synapses are the sole building blocks of AI. Researchers at Oxford University's Department of Materials, working in collaboration with colleagues from Exeter and Munster have developed an on-chip optical processor capable of detecting similarities in datasets up to 1,000 times faster than conventional machine learning algorithms running on electronic processors.

Psychology - Pedagogy - 14.06.2022

Pre-school play with friends lowers risk of mental health problems later
Children who learn to play well with others at pre-school age tend to enjoy better mental health as they get older, new research shows. The findings provide the first clear evidence that -peer play ability-, the capacity to play successfully with other children, has a protective effect on mental health.

Pedagogy - 07.06.2022

Underperforming schools need more support to avoid downward spiral
Schools with consistently less than "good" Ofsted grades will find it difficult to improve without further support, according to new research led by IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society. Published today, the report "'Stuck' schools: Can below good Ofsted inspections prevent sustainable improvement?" explores the underperformance of 580 schools in England that consistently received less than "good" Ofsted inspection grades between 2005 to 2018.

Pedagogy - Health - 11.04.2022

Trial reveals benefits of text message support on children’s bedtime routines
A proof-of-concept study of an intervention which sends support and information to parents at bedtime by text message has been shown to improve the quality of their children's sleep. Devised by researchers at The Universities of Manchester, the system - costing under £2 per family for a weekwas also shown to improve the overall quality of bedtime routines as well as parental mood.

Pedagogy - 31.03.2022

Married mothers who earn more than their husbands take on an even greater share of housework
Married couples may be trying to compensate for deviating from the entrenched gender norm of -male breadwinner- While new mothers frequently take on a greater share of housework than their spouses, this effect is even more pronounced in mothers who earn more than fathers, new research from the University of Bath shows.

Pedagogy - Health - 22.02.2022

One in three young people say they felt happier during lockdown
One in three young people say their mental health and wellbeing improved during COVID-19 lockdown measures, with potential contributing factors including feeling less lonely, avoiding bullying and getting more sleep and exercise, according to researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

Pedagogy - Psychology - 07.02.2022

Doll play prompts children to talk about others’ thoughts and emotions - new study
Playing with dolls can prompt children to talk about others' thoughts and emotions, according to the latest findings of a multi-year study from neuroscientists at Cardiff University. The data expands on research exploring the impact of doll play on children, conducted by experts from the School of Psychology's Centre for Human Developmental Science and commissioned by Mattel.

Pedagogy - 11.11.2021

Modified formula milk not linked to better academic performance
Babies who were given nutritionally modified formula milk had the same maths and English exam results as children who were given standard formula milk by age 16, finds a major new study led by UCL researchers that links seven randomised controlled trials to school performance re Scientists from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (GOS ICH) and the UCL Institute of Education, who published their findings in the BMJ today, used a

Pedagogy - 24.09.2021

National primary school tests have little effect on children’s happiness and wellbeing
National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests taken by 10- and 11-year-old children in England to assess progress in English and Mathematics do not seem to affect children's wellbeing, according to new UCL-led research. The peer-reviewed study, published today in Assessment in Education, analysed data from around 2,500 children who live in England (where the KS2 tests are conducted) and in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (where the tests do not take place) and are all participants of the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS).

Pedagogy - 20.09.2021

Family time increases parents’ wellbeing, especially couple time
Time spent together in families significantly contributes to mothers and fathers' happiness when compared to being alone, shows new research from a UCL academic. The research also finds that couple time spent alone without children contributes to the largest increase in wellbeing Published today in Sociology , the study analyses data from 236 couples who participated in the 2014-2015 United Kingdom Time Use Survey and finds that fathers often reported enjoying family time more than mothers do.

Pedagogy - 26.08.2021

Physical activity in children can be improved through ’exergames’
Physical activity among young people can be improved by well-designed and delivered online interventions such as 'exergames' and smartphone apps, new research shows. According to a review study carried out at the University of Birmingham, children and young people reacted positively in PE lessons to the use of exergames, which deliver physical activity lessons via games or personalised activities.

Pedagogy - Social Sciences - 20.08.2021

A parent’s genes can influence a child’s educational success, inherited or not
A child's educational success depends on the genes that they haven't inherited from their parents, as well as the genes they have, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the study confirms that genes a person inherits directly are most likely to contribute to their achievements in education.

Health - Pedagogy - 02.08.2021

’Origami’ testing app could help tackle spread of malaria
A new approach to tackling the spread of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, which combines affordable, easy-to-administer blood tests with machine learning and unbreakable encryption, has generated encouraging early results in Uganda. Malaria is one of the world's leading causes of illness and death, sickening around 228 million people each year, more than 400,000 of them fatally.

Pedagogy - Social Sciences - 23.07.2021

Machine learning used to successfully measure attachment in children
For the first time, researchers have used machine learning to successfully measure attachment in children - the vital human bond that humans first develop as infants to their caregivers. In new multi-disciplinary research, led by the University of Glasgow and published in PLOS ONE, the study team present a quick and easy way to measure attachment through a computer game, that has the potential to be used in largescale public health monitoring.

Pedagogy - 22.07.2021

Older people are worse at learning to help themselves, but just as good at learning to help others
Older adults may be slower to learn actions and behaviours that benefit themselves, but new research shows they are just as capable as younger people of learning behaviours that benefit others. Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford found that youngsters, in contrast, tend to learn much faster when they are making choices that benefit themselves.

Pedagogy - 06.07.2021

Autistic children can benefit from attention training - new study
Attention training in young people with autism can lead to significant improvements in academic performance, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK along with institutions in São Paolo, in Brazil, tested a computer programme designed to train basic attention skills among a group of autistic children aged between eight and 14 years old.

Pedagogy - Campus - 28.05.2021

Extra classroom time may do little to help pupils recover lost learning after COVID-19
Adding extra classroom time to the school day may only result in marginal gains for pupils who have lost learning during the COVID pandemic, a study says. Simply keeping all students in school for longer, in order to do more maths or more English, probably won't improve results much Vaughan Connolly The University of Cambridge analysis used five years of Government data, collected from more than 2,800 schools in England, to estimate the likely impact of additional classroom instruction on academic progress, as measured at GCSE.

Social Sciences - Pedagogy - 16.05.2021

Increased emotional difficulties in children during the pandemic
Whilst the rise in emotional problems in teenagers and young adults since the pandemic has become clearer, little is known about the emotional response of pre-school and primary school aged children. Using data tracking children's emotional development at multiple ages before and during the pandemic, the research team were able to explore differences in trajectories of emotional difficulties in children before and during the pandemic.

Pedagogy - 13.05.2021

Over a fifth of all child deaths in England could be avoided by reducing deprivation, new report finds
Around 700 child deaths that occur in England each year might be avoided by reducing deprivation, finds a new NHS England-funded report published today [13 May]. The University of Bristol National Child Mortality Database (NCMD)-led analysis identified a clear association between the risk of death and level of deprivation for children in England, for all categories of death except cancer.

Pedagogy - Social Sciences - 10.05.2021

New birth cohort study will study children of the 2020s
A new nationally representative birth cohort study launching in England in the coming year will deliver valuable insights into child development, led by UCL researchers and commissioned and funded by the Department for Education. The Children of the 2020s Study will include babies born in April, May, and June 2021.