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Pedagogy - 20.09.2023

Children do better at school if their fathers read and play with them
Fathers can give their children an educational advantage at primary school by reading, drawing and playing with them, according to a new report published today. Research including Professors Mark Elliot and Colette Fagan from The University of Manchester found that children do better at primary school if their fathers regularly spend time with them on interactive engagement activities like reading, playing, telling stories, drawing and singing.

Pedagogy - Social Sciences - 04.09.2023

Education about domestic abuse improves knowledge and motivation to respond to victims
Education about domestic abuse equips and empowers friends, colleagues, and neighbours to respond in positive and helpful ways when someone discloses experiences of abuse, finds a new study by researchers from UCL and SafeLives. The study, published in the journal Trauma, Violence & Abuse , synthesised the findings of 11 existing studies from around the world that examined the effects of domestic abuse training for colleagues, neighbours, or faith leaders.

Pedagogy - Social Sciences - 01.09.2023

Deprived teens with poor learning skills at greatest risk from email scams
Disadvantaged teenagers are at greater risk of email scams and need better protection, according to an international study by a UCL researcher. The findings, published in the British Journal of Educational Studies , were based on more than 170,000 students aged 15 and show that one in five from low-income families or deprived areas could fall victim to phishing.

Environment - Pedagogy - 08.08.2023

Classroom environmental education doesn’t change attitudes
Researchers at the Milner Centre for Evolution evaluated the effectiveness of conservation educational activities in the Cape Verde Island of Maio. Increasing understanding of conservation issues in schools doesn't necessarily translate into attitude change, says new research from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath.

Pedagogy - 18.04.2023

Improving learning and wellbeing for autistic children
The first evidence-based guide to creating a sensory room to support the well-being and learning of autistic people has been launched. The Wales Autism Research Centre at Cardiff University collaborated with teachers and psychologists who work with autistic children, autistic people and parents to develop the new sensory room guide.

Pedagogy - Health - 06.04.2023

Breast and mixed-fed babies are at lower risk of having special educational needs
Children who are exclusively breastfed or fed a mix of formula and breastmilk for the first six to eight weeks of life are at lower risk of having special educational need and learning disabilities, according to a new study. The research, led by the University of Glasgow and published in PLOS Medicine, studied data from more than 190,000 children to understand the impact of early life feeding on later development.

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.