Belonging

This research snapshot provides an overview of a SERN-funded project led by Geoff Cohen and Tanner LeBaron Wallace. In this project, the researchers examined how teachers weave messages of growth, belonging, purpose, and affirmation (or their opposite) into their day-to-day practice, as well as whether creating learning environments that may support adaptive learning mindsets through these verbal messages is related to teachers’ ability to promote gains in students’ math achievement. The snapshot shares key findings, information on the interdisciplinary research team, and insights and future directions for the project.

This research snapshot provides an overview of a SERN-funded project led by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and Camille Farrington. This project was designed to leverage data collected from a longitudinal, cross-cultural project on the social-emotional brain development of adolescents from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The researchers explored how students’ neurobiological predispositions in social-emotional processing interact with their learning environments (i.e., community and family) and cultural influences to shape their social functioning over time. The snapshot shares key findings, information on the interdisciplinary research team, and insights and future directions for the project.

This research snapshot provides an overview of a SERN-funded project led by Matthew Kraft. The project leveraged a large sample of students in the California CORE districts to examine how feelings of belonging in school affect academic, behavioral, and social-emotional experiences and outcomes. The snapshot shares key findings, information on the interdisciplinary research team, and insights and future directions for the project.

This research summary brief provides an overview of a paper by Greg Walton and Tim Wilson, exploring how wise interventions can improve outcomes and implications for policy and practice across a broad range of domains. The brief shares a background on what wise interventions are, how they work, and the ways they can be used to improve outcomes.

This research brief offers a summary of what we know about belonging from years of scientific research.

This research synthesis provides an overview of how insights from mindset science can inform the design of educational environments in K-12 and postsecondary education. It describes how students' psychological experience of school shapes their motivation to learn and their learning outcomes. The brief distills principles from 40 years of research on mindsets and motivation about how of learning environments can be designed to be inclusive, growth-oriented, and meaningful.

This research brief summarizes three studies by SERN scholars David Yeager, Greg Walton, Dave Paunesku, Angela Duckworth, Geoffrey Cohen, Carol Dweck, and their colleagues that explore whether online exercises delivered before college can effectively prepare students for certain challenges they may face during the transition to college. The studies found that these programs were able to improve educational outcomes and decrease achievement gaps between African American, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, first-generation students and their peers.

Motivation is an important component of success in both the classroom and beyond. Researchers Rory Lazowski and Chris Hulleman completed an extensive meta-analysis to look at the effectiveness of interventions aimed at increasing students' motivation. They found that overall motivation interventions are effective and can improve both levels of motivation along with academic performance and school attendance.