Promote Selective Attention in 4th-Grade Students: Lessons Learned from a School-Based Intervention on Self-Regulation

Abstract

Academic success is a complex concept comprising not only good academic performance, but also the development of competencies and the accomplishment made by the ends of learning. Among the motivational and attentional variables likely to influence academic success, extant literature reports the relevance of developing self-regulation and attentional control to foster school success. Still, little is known about how to foster attentional control competencies through training on self-regulated learning strategies. The present study aims are twofold: (i) to assess the efficacy of a program targetted to promote self-regulation strategies on attentional control, specifically in selective attention, and (ii) to explore the role of selective attention on arithmetic performance. Participants were 136 fourth grade students, aged from 8 to 11 years old. Of those, 68 were enrolled in a school-based intervention aimed to promote self-regulation. At the end of the intervention, the experimental group showed higher levels of self-regulation and selective attention that were significantly different when compared to the control group. The SR training has influenced positively participants SA with impact on their arithmetic competencies. The findings of this study can provide relevant insight to better understand these variables and to design better in-class practices.

A Self-Regulation Intervention Conducted by Teachers in a Disadvantaged School Neighborhood: Implementers’ and Observers’ Perceptions of Its Impact on Elementary Students

“…The current study explored the perceived impact of the evidence-based "Yellow Trails and Tribulations" intervention conducted by class teachers in a disadvantaged elementary school neighborhood through a qualitative analysis of the implementers' and observers' session sheets and final reports. Prior studies majorly used quantitative methods to assess the impact of the intervention conducted by researchers [30,46,54] and then led by class teachers [49,55] for research purposes. Regardless of the implementer (i.e., researcher or trained teacher), those studies indicated that the participating students reported higher SRL skills at the end of the intervention than their counterparts [30,49,54], namely students from disadvantaged backgrounds [46].…”

“…This narrative based-intervention has been implemented by researchers for fourthgraders (including students from minority or low socio-economic backgrounds) living in urban or rural areas [30,[46][47][48][52][53][54]. The results showed positive and significant impacts of the intervention on (i) the participants' self-reported SRL competencies and self-efficacy beliefs [46,48,[52][53][54], (ii) the observational cognitive engagement components related to SRL such as asking for help and verbalizations related to the task planning [30], and (iii) attention control, which was assessed using a standardized test (impressively, at the end of the intervention, the experimental group scored at the level of 13/14 years old, while the control group scored at the level expected for their age group [54]). A particular highlight of the study conducted with students from low socio-economic backgrounds was that students presenting low and medium scores of SRL in the pre-test showed the highest gains in the post-test with high effect sizes [46].…”

Higher Education Social Sustainability Case Study: Outcomes That Emerged During the Pandemic from The Outlook of the Autotelic Personality Questionnaire

“…Learning itself is accomplished when students have their motivational and attentional variables positively engaged with the didactic content, and competencies are developed accordingly and result in academic performance. (Pereira et al 2021. ) There is little information on how to learn to improve the attentional control of students.…”

“…Learning pains are due to relatively weak internal authority, and it is well known that, indeed, teachers are aware of differences in the levels of students has long been a problem that needs to be addressed. (Pereira et al 2021. ) Many learners address a complex and diverse variety of diagnosed or latent ADHD, autism or anxiety disorders, etc.…”

A self-regulation intervention conducted by class teachers: impact on elementary students’ basic psychological needs and classroom engagement

“…To learn class content and engage in class, students are expected to not only use a set of cognitive strategies (e.g., working memory or problem-solving strategies), but also to be able to focus their attention and inhibit disruptive behaviors, overcoming background constraints ( Fitzpatrick, 2012 ). The use of these strategies and skills as tools to attain goals involves self-regulation and the exercise of willful control over behavior ( Fitzpatrick, 2012 ; Archambault and Dupéré, 2017 ; Pereira et al, 2021 ).…”