Sense of belonging is an important motivational belief that represents individuals' sense of fit within an environment. However, many women report feeling a lower sense of belonging than men in STEM fields, which may perpetuate gender inequities. This lack of belonging may develop early in a student's educational trajectory and disproportionately…

Research on self-regulated learning (SRL) is undergoing a methodological and conceptual transformation from static, retrospective measures toward dynamic, multimodal, and temporally sensitive analyses. This discussion paper synthesizes and extends the contributions of a Topical Collection devoted to multimodal approaches in SRL research. It…

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of gamification on students' motivation and engagement in mathematics at the secondary and higher education levels. A literature search (April 2025) followed by an updated search (November 2025) across ten databases identified 45 studies for qualitative synthesis and 11 for…

In-service and student teachers often hold math-gender misconceptions of female learners' lower levels of mathematical talent. Such misconceptions are related to the math-gender stereotype that shapes how teachers interact with students and can contribute to the underrepresentation of women in mathematical fields. One method for reducing these…

Positive teacher-student relationships have the potential to impact teacher, as well as student, wellbeing. However, in middle and secondary schools, where teachers have contact with more students and less time with each of them, it is less clear how important these relationships are. This study systematically reviewed the literature on the…

Gender differences in Second/Foreign language (L2) learning have long been a topic of investigation. However, inconsistent results continue to be reported. In this current meta-analysis, we identified 42 empirical studies that appeared between 1998 and 2024, with a cumulated total N = 25,613, from numerous countries. Our goal was to explore gender…

Systematic analyses of repeated measures of cognitive load during realistic, complex learning tasks are still lacking. Previous findings are based on simulations and the use of a set of multiple short problem-solving tasks. For the present study, lower secondary level pupils (N = 360) worked on three worked examples on the topic of acids in their…

This essay critically synthesizes recent theoretical and empirical developments on belonging in higher education. Although the concept has gained wide traction, significant gaps remain in how scholars conceptualize belonging, how they measure it, and how they account for the structural and political forces that shape students' experiences. To…

Openly available datasets from large-scale educational assessments like PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS, or NAEP, among others, are some of the most valuable public resources in the education sciences. Understandably, educational psychologists are interested in analyzing these datasets to advance their research. But, in contrast to the kinds of…

Brief pre-class physical exercise may enhance executive function (EF) processes proximal to mathematics learning. However, the effect is likely dependent on the alignment between the physical exercise and subsequent instructional demands. We tested a dual-process framework in authentic classrooms, predicting selective gains in mathematics-specific…

Having classmates evaluate other classmate's work and give ratings, comments, or both (peer assessment, PA) can improve the student's learning, possibly via motivation, self-efficacy, and anxiety. This meta-analysis of 66 studies of 8,550 participants explored PA's effects on motivation, self-efficacy, and anxiety and tested for moderators. The…

What conditions are necessary for students to learn from practice and feedback, without the need for upfront lecture? Across two experiments (N = 597), we examined how practice with feedback can support memory, generalization, metacognition, and motivation. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three instructional formats: a traditional…

Despite decades of research, the impact of feedback timing on learning outcomes remains debated. The most recent meta-analysis directly comparing immediate and delayed feedback was published in 1988, preceding the transformation of computer-assisted learning environments. This study reevaluates the effect of feedback timing on learning outcomes…

Existing motivation interventions typically focus on what can be done to enhance learners' motivation. However, these approaches do not systematically teach learners to become their own motivational agents. This article proposes motivational apprenticeship, a conceptual framework that extends cognitive apprenticeship principles to help learners…

Faculty-student relationships (FSRs) are broadly recognized as meaningful predictors of students' success in higher education as evidenced by various theoretical models. Strong FSRs meet basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), provide emotional support, support identity development, and help students engage with their campus…