The impact of participation in a neuroscience course on motivational measures and academic performance

Publication date: September–December 2013 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education, Volume 2, Issues 3–4 Author(s): Eleanor J. Dommett , Ian M. Devonshire , Emma Sewter , Susan A. Greenfield Previous work suggests how pupils view their intelligence (fixed or flexible) influences academic performance. We delivered workshops on neuroscience emphasising brain plasticity to 11–12 year old pupils to encourage belief in incremental intelligence. We assessed changes in motivational measures, including intelligence beliefs, and mathematics ability. Neuroscience, study skills (an active control) or no information was delivered to both pupils and their mathematics teachers by either neuroscience-trained ‘Advanced Skills Teachers’ (ASTs) or computer software; measures were obtained at multiple assessment points over a 20 month period. Neuroscience training increased belief in incremental intelligence over the 20 months but had no specific effects on other motivational measures or maths performance. Study skills training had only a short-term effect on incremental intelligence. Teacher training did not affect pupil outcomes during the duration of study but may take longer to develop, therefore necessitating longer studies.
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research