Abstract:

Self-regulated learning (SRL) refers to the way that individuals actively manage their cognition and behaviour to achieve their learning goals. This requires the interplay of numerous psychological processes, broadly involving forethought (e.g., planning, motivation), performance (e.g., strategies, control), and self-reflection (e.g., judgements of learning). Higher competencies in SRL have been related to greater learning achievement and wellbeing. Several intervention studies also demonstrate that SRL can be taught resulting in benefits for participating students. SRL interventions may then be a valuable approach for optimising student learning and wellbeing in Singapore, especially for secondary school students entering adolescence, a sensitive period of cognitive and emotional development. However, to develop effective SRL interventions for Singapore students, it is important to understand the level and role of SRL in local school contexts. It is also critical to push beyond the traditional self-report questionnaires used to evaluate SRL competencies at a static trait-level, to instead use ecologically valid measures that can capture the continuous and dynamic interactions between SRL, emotion, and achievement in learning contexts; thus, enabling a greater understanding and development of SRL theory and targeted interventions optimised for local students. To our knowledge, no research has explored the level and role of SRL in Singapore secondary school students. Thus, to address this and drive state-of-the-art ecological SRL research in Singapore, we propose a multimodal (interdisciplinary) investigation to explore the level and role of SRL and emotions for academic achievement in secondary students aged 13-14 years, representing school students entering adolescence. The proposed research will involve three studies: Study 1 will be a baseline study modelling causal relationships between trait-level SRL, emotions (related to learning), and academic achievement using traditional self-report measures. A large sample will be collected (N = 1300) to represent the level of SRL in secondary students and enable structural equation modelling, testing the hypothesis that SRL mediates the relationship between emotions and achievement in local students. Study 2 will involve multimodal classroom research in a subsample of Study 1 participants (n = 80) who will be recruited across 4-5 Maths classes at Yuan Ching Secondary School (YCSS). SRL and emotion will be recorded during Maths classes using unobtrusive ecological trace measures, including brief momentary questionnaires (i.e., motivation, judgments of learning), note-taking behaviour (strategy use, metacognition), electrodermal activity (emotional arousal), and facial expressions (emotional valence). A brief knowledge test will be used to assess learning achievement in class. Analyses will primarily explore the utility of ecological multimodal measures for predicting learning achievement at the classroom level, and trait-level measures of SRL and emotion will be linked to the classroom data, facilitating the validation and interpretation of novel classroom methods relevant to SRL and emotion. Study 3 will be a survey study conducted with YCSS teachers (N = 50) at the end of the proposed research, to assess teachers' interest in the multimodal classroom data, and promote further collaboration and translation of the project outcomes. The proposed research project will clarify the level and role of SRL in relation to emotions and the academic achievement of local secondary school students, using traditional (established) and novel (multimodal) methods. The outcomes are expected to advance SRL theory, and contribute to the development of interventions and pedagogy aiming to optimise lifelong learning and wellbeing. A unique multimodal classroom dataset will also be generated for a wide range of research and development purposes that may addressed in future studies.

Funding body: MOE

Lead PI: Dr Jack Fogarty

Co-PIs: Dr Yuvaraj Rajamanickam, Assoc Prof Lee Ngan Hoe, Asst Prof Farhan Ali

Collaborator: Ms Ng Sook Kit

Abstract:

Reading and math skills are fundamental for the attainment of academic competence in school and the building blocks of other advanced skills throughout the lifespan. The large variabilities in children’s strengths and weaknesses in reading and math abilities suggest that they may be subserved by distinct domain-specific and shared domain-general neurocognitive mechanisms. Based on behavioural evidence, we postulate that executive function might play a significant role in the domain-general mechanism. Taking a meta-analytic approach, this project investigates the neural networks of reading, math, and executive function, as well as the interaction between the networks. The findings will provide insights into how executive function supports reading and math development, and further shed light on the design of effective intervention for improving literacy and numeracy skills in children.

Funding body: MOE ERFP 

Lead PI: Dr Chiao-Yi Wu
Co-PIs: Dr Astrid Schmied, Prof S.H. Annabel Chen
Collaborator: Prof Daniel Ansari

Abstract: 

Emotions can influence decision making, learning, and other aspects of human behaviour. Therefore, computerdriven detection of human emotions has become an essential field of research. Recognizing and detecting emotions in the field of education is in one concrete example in action (Picard, 2000; Sottilare & Goldberg, 2012). Emotion detection using computers devices have been useful within education since the 1980s (Bereiter, 2002; Bruce & Rubin, 1993; Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994). Thus, if computers used in educational services are equipped with suitable sensors for the detection of learner’s emotions, then their potential as an educational tool may be extended further. Numerous studies have been constructed to detect and act upon various emotions in the field of education. However, there is one emotion, “boredom”, which has gained little attention as a target emotion from educational researchers. For instance, in education or learning contexts, boredom can disrupt learning by impeding focused attention, resulting in lower engagement and motivation to learn (Cui, Yao, & Zhang, 2017). Previous studies indicate that emotions should be associated with changes in central nervous system (CNS) or autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, which can be measured using physiological signals such as electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), galvanic skin resistance (GSR), and eye gaze (Nummenmaa, Glerean, Hari, & Hietanen, 2014; Purves, Augustine, & Fitzpatrick, 2001). Yet, the neurophysiological correlates of boredom are underexplored. Given these observations, the proposed research aims to systematically explore the comprehensive range of central and autonomic signals that may characterize boredom, to understand that emotional state and the patterns of physiologcial responses (measured using EEG, ECG, GSR, and eye gaze) associated with boredom. We will design and conduct an experiment, which will use video stimulus to evoke boredom. The proposed work will also develop an automatic boredom detection system using multimodal physiological signals and machine learning, which can support methods to reduce boredom and increase engagement, a prerequisite for reaching flow states during learning.

Funding body: Education Research Funding Programme (Tier 1)

Lead PI: Dr. Yuvaraj Rajamanickam
Co-PI: Dr. Jack Fogarty, Dr. Huang Junsong David
Collaborator: Mr. Wong Teck Kiong , Mr. Tan Hsien Samuel (MOE, Education Technology Division)

Abstract:

Executive functions (EFs) refer to a set of cognitive processes that allow for goal-directed behaviour in the face of competing and more automatic behaviour that may not be adaptive (Diamond, 2013). EFs support many behaviours that we engage in on a daily basis and is associated with our overall well-being (Moffitt et al., 2012). EF abilities have been reported to develop over a protracted period, starting from early childhood and continuing into adulthood. However, there is a paucity of research examining the developmental trajectory of EFs in Singaporean students. To address this gap, this study will examine the normative trajectory of EF development in Singaporean students, across primary and secondary school years (7 – 17 years) using a cross-sectional design. In addition, the study will examine how EF performance is modulated under emotional contexts, particularly when experiencing frustration. As students frequently experience negative emotions such as frustration in the contexts of learning, examining how EF abilities are modulated under such emotions will provide a more comprehensive understanding of EF development.  

Funding body: MOE AcRF Tier 1

Lead PI: Dr Aishah Abdul Rahman

Abstract: 

Mathematics ability at an early age is linked to later success in adulthood. Children with better mathematics skills at age 7 enjoy higher salaries, health and psychological well-being as adults. It is thus imperative to help children do well in mathematics from an early age. What are the factors contributing to early mathematics proficiency? How can we help children build solid foundations for mathematics learning from early childhood? We address these questions with a series of three projects focusing on pre-school children. Project 1 aims to understand how early mathematical skills develop in terms of both children’s performance and development in the brain by tracking a large, nationally representative sample of children from ages 4.5 to 6.5. The information generated may help predict which children are likely to have difficulties in learning mathematics, how and why children develop at different rates in numeracy skills and whether children with difficulties are likely to respond to intervention.

One cognitive function that consistently predicts mathematical achievement is working memory, our ability to process and remember information simultaneously. Studies have found socio-economic variation in working memory and mathematical achievement; even at the pre-school level. In Project 2, we examine how variation in early childhood parenting processes across socio-economic strata influences children’s development in working memory and numeracy. Using combined cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, we will supplement and expand on efforts from an on-going early childhood study.

Building on findings from the other two projects, in Project 3, we will design a computerised working memory and numeracy intervention program for pre-schoolers. We will examine the effectiveness of the intervention in terms of both children’s performance and changes in the brain. The information generated will also allow us to identify the characteristics of children who respond differently to intervention.

Funding body: National Research Foundation

Lead PI: Dr Anne Rifkin-Graboi (Local), Prof Daniel Ansari (International) 
Co-PI: Dr Khng Kiat Hui, Dr Ng Ee Lynn, A/P Qiu Anqi (External), Dr. Pierina Cheung, Dr. Stella Tsotsi
Collaborator: Dr Rebecca Bull (Macquarie University), Prof Kerry Lee (Education University of Hong Kong)

Abstract:

Significance: Children from disadvantaged homes in Singapore enter kindergarten with poorer skills (pre-academic and cognitive), and they maintain poorer learning rates over the kindergarten years (Ng et al., 2014; Ng et al., 2021). The impact of socio-economic risk is heightened in the preschool years (e.g., Mollborn, Lawrence, James-Hawkins, & Fomby, 2014), indicating that this is a key sensitive period for intervening with additional supports in order to prepare children prior to kindergarten entry. This proposal takes a SoL approach to prepare young disadvantaged children by developing and evaluating early interventions aimed at four core skills necessary for later success in school: literacy, numeracy, social-emotional learning, and self-regulation. Objectives and Specific Aims. This programmatic proposal aims to develop and trial the efficacy of targeted interventions for preschool children at Nursery 2 in Singapore to build their foundational skills – both academic and non-academic. Early childhood is a critical period, which contributes significantly to longer range outcomes in student achievement and career attainment; therefore, many nations are investing in early childhood care and education (ECE). While high quality ECE reaps positive effects, family factors (such as socio-economic status - SES) also weigh heavily on child outcomes. The effects are wide-ranging, from academic (reading and math) to executive functioning to socio-emotional development, and studies within Singapore reflect these findings that SES impacts academic skills at entry into kindergarten even after controlling for IQ and age (Ng et al., 2014). The Singapore Kindergarten Impact Project (SKIP) further showed that kindergarten entry level skills explained children's rate of learning throughout kindergarten and into primary school. Building on the previous findings from SKIP and the GUSTO study, the overarching aim of the current project is to improve children's essential skills before they enter kindergarten, with a focus on literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional, and self-regulation skills for children at socio-economic risk . Approach: A three-phase programme of research includes an intervention-development process informed by collaborative input from preschool practitioners, followed by a randomized controlled study implementing the interventions with a preschool sample, and finally a production phase of teaching packages for future effectiveness studies in preschool classrooms. Feasibility: The set of projects draws on the deep expertise within the Centre for Research on Child Development (CRCD) for early childhood development specifically for each of the four core skill areas.The PIs have extensive experience successfully conducting early education research in Singapore. Combining the set of projects into one programmatic research proposal yields cost savings within a manageable five-year project.

Funding body: Ministry of Education (MOE) Science of Learning Grant 2021

Lead PI: Dr Beth O'Brien

Co-PIs: Dr Yang Yang, Dr Tan Ser Hong, Dr Pierina Cheung, Dr Karuppiah Nirmala, Dr Rosanne Jocson, Dr Goh Kok Yew Shaun, Prof Poon Kin Loong, Kenneth, Dr Khng Kiat Hui, Dr Jose David Munez Mendez, Dr Ng Ee Lynn, Dr Sun Baoqi

Collaborators: Dr Yvonne Pek Chu Lin, Assoc Prof Setoh Pei Pei

Abstract:

Dyscalculia is a neurodivergent disability reflecting a core deficit in processing numerosity, resulting in difficulty learning or comprehending arithmetic. Many children and adolescents with dyscalculia have associated cognitive dysfunction and many of those affected have comorbid disorders such as ADHD. Dyscalculics are also more likely to struggle with mental health conditions. The few interventional studies that have been published to date document the efficacy of pedagogic-therapeutic interventions where 1:1 treatment is tailored to the individual patient’s cognitive functional profile and severity of manifestations. Typically, such interventions focus on remediating mathematics cognitive function, while negating the affective dimensions of dyscalculia. Here we propose AARA-DA, a holistic remediation solution, augmenting the use of neural-informed mathematics games powered by a VR teacher/caregiver avatar that can not only attend to timely cognitive interventions but so too provide a scalable context of personalized cognitive and affective care. The AI-powered avatar in AARA-DA will be trained to interact with dyscalculia-at-risk children and understand their needs through back-end game analytics and conversational-AI to deliver an ethic of affective care while alleviating the emotional demands on teacher/caregiver, thereby enhancing both student and carer wellbeing. Using a mixed-method approach, pre-post measures in a quasi-experimental design will evaluate solution efficacy. Semi-structured interviews with teacher/caregivers and children’s behavioural observations will be triangulated with back-end game analytics to serve as ‘digital biomarkers’ for predicting dyscalculic well-being. We hypothesize that dyscalculic-at-risk on AARA-DA will differ significantly in both cognitive and affective gains measured comparatively with those on single-dimension cognitive interventions.

Funding body: Health Innovation Grant (ALIVE)

Lead PIs: Asst Prof Azilawati Jamaludin, Dr Lim Choon Guan (IMH/LKC) 

Co-PIs: Dr Shen Zhiqi (SCSE), Dr Zhu Ying, Dr Tan Aik Lim (Co-PI)