{"title":"Closing Early Vocabulary Gaps: A Meta-Analysis of Interventions for Children Facing Elevated Risk For Challenges in Language Development","authors":"Leonie Dargiewicz, Svenja Wehrhöfer, Annika Ohle-Peters, Ulrich Ludewig, Fani Lauermann, Nele McElvany","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100834","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100834","url":null,"abstract":"Vocabulary knowledge is essential for language development and a strong predictor of later academic achievement. Substantial disparities in vocabulary in the language of instruction are evident at the beginning of formal schooling, especially among children with increased risk for challenges in language development because of low socioeconomic status, limited proficiency in the language of instruction, ethnicity different from the majority, diagnosed language impairment or language delay. This meta-analysis synthesized findings from 30 interventions (<ce:italic>N</ce:italic> = 4,184 students; 109 independent effect sizes) that evaluated vocabulary interventions for children facing elevated risk for challenges in language development aged 4;0 to 7;11 years. A multilevel meta-analysis revealed a moderate overall effect of vocabulary interventions (Hedges’ <ce:italic>g</ce:italic> = 0.62) and moderation effects by type of control group (alternate treatment vs. business-as-usual treatment) and outcome (proximal, researcher-developed vs. distal, standardized test). Business-as-usual treatment yielded larger effect sizes than alternate treatment. Further, using proximal, researcher-developed tests indicated higher effect sizes than distal, standardized tests. The results underscore the importance of systematic vocabulary interventions in formal educational settings. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A systematic literature review on students’ competencies on personal data: Defining personal data literacy for students","authors":"Andria Agesilaou, Eleni A. Kyza","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100845","url":null,"abstract":"Empirical evidence underscores the limited awareness among children and adolescents concerning prevalent big data practices, coupled with a lack of understanding regarding the purposes and mechanisms underpinning the utilization of their personal data. Despite the recognized need to augment children's competencies for managing and protecting their personal data, a conspicuous gap exists in the literature, which lacks a systematic identification and organization of these competencies. Existing frameworks predominantly focus on adult populations, and do not address the unique needs, perspectives, and challenges faced by students in comprehending and managing their personal data. Furthermore, the literature discusses the matter using a variety of similar terms, while at the same time lacking an established definition. This review examined the literature to (a) understand the state-of-the-art around students’ literacy regarding personal data, (b) provide a definition for such kind of literacy, (c), identify pedagogical guidelines for personal data literacy and, (d) elucidate students’ fundamental competencies through the proposal of a competency framework. In total, thirty studies, encompassing empirical and theoretical research on critical and personal data literacy, have been identified and analyzed, using the PRISMA guidelines. The results informed the development of the <ce:italic>Personal Data Literacy (PeDaL)</ce:italic> framework, which offers instructional guidelines for designing learning experiences to cultivate student’s personal data literacy.","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teacher homework involvement and student learning outcomes: A three-level meta-analysis","authors":"Jianzhong Xu, Shengli Guo, Huiyong Fan, Jiyuan Sheng","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100837","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100837","url":null,"abstract":"A three-level meta-analysis examined the association between teacher homework involvement and student learning outcomes and tested substantive and study-level moderators. Teacher homework involvement encompassed homework quality, autonomy support, content support, feedback quality, feedback quantity, and combined support, whereas learning outcomes encompassed motivational and affective, behavioral and self-regulatory, and academic outcomes. The analysis included 506 effect sizes from 29 independent studies involving 35,702 students. Teacher homework involvement had an overall small-to-moderate positive association with student learning outcomes (<ce:italic>r</ce:italic> = 0.246, <ce:italic>p</ce:italic> < .001), which remained stable under study-clustered CR2 inference and leave-one-study-out analyses. This association varied by involvement dimension, outcome type, geographical region, publication type, and publication year, but not by grade level or subject matter. Omnibus differences across involvement dimensions and outcome types remained statistically significant under study-clustered inference. The most consistent evidence indicated stronger associations for homework quality, feedback quality, and autonomy support than for feedback quantity. Across outcomes, autonomous motivation showed the largest association, suggesting that teacher homework involvement may be particularly relevant to whether students experience homework as personally meaningful, valued, and self-endorsed. Associations were also stronger in studies conducted in Asia than in those conducted in the United States or Europe. Overall, the findings highlight the potential value of well-designed assignments, high-quality feedback, and autonomy-supportive guidance.","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adrian Paterna, Manuel Alcaraz-Ibáñez, Almudena F. Diaz-Carrasco, Mark D. Griffiths
{"title":"Problematic Videogame Use and Academic Achievement: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","authors":"Adrian Paterna, Manuel Alcaraz-Ibáñez, Almudena F. Diaz-Carrasco, Mark D. Griffiths","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100835","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"16 1","pages":"100835"},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fostering computational thinking through robotics in kindergarten: A systematic review of learning strategies, frameworks, and assessment","authors":"Soultana Tsingidou, Theodosios Sapounidis","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100829","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100829","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Computational Thinking (CT) is considered a core 21st-century skill that should be developed early. Educational robotics has been introduced to kindergarten settings to foster the CT learning process. However, there is no systematic review documenting the learning strategies and CT frameworks employed for CT development in kindergarten through robotics. Similarly, there is no updated presentation of the examined CT skills at this level. Furthermore, there is no up-to-date systematic record and classification of the CT assessment tools used to measure CT skills specifically in the kindergarten context. The existing reviews of CT assessment examine broad educational settings ranging from kindergarten through higher education, and do not focus exclusively on educational robotics. Therefore, this systematic review analyses 53 out of 2306 studies published from 2015 to March 2026 across 7 databases, examining robot-mediated CT development in kindergarten. It explored the learning strategies, CT frameworks, CT skills, and assessment tools employed. Our findings indicate that problem-based learning, storytelling, and scaffolding are the most frequently employed strategies in robot-mediated CT learning. In the reviewed articles, four CT frameworks were identified, although most of the studies did not specify any framework. CT concepts and practices are most frequently examined, while CT perspectives remain underexplored. Total CT, sequencing, debugging, and algorithmic design are the most assessed CT skills. Regarding CT assessment tools, TechCheck-K is the most widely used, although in many cases, the assessment tools are developed ad hoc and lack formal validation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100829"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148693154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dimensions and assessments of advertising literacy: A systematic review","authors":"Eugene Zheng Yao, Alexandra List","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100817","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100817","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given new legislative pushes to incorporate media literacy into curricula and concerns regarding increasingly intrusive and exploitative advertising, this systematic literature review examines the dimensions of advertising literacy investigated over the last 15 years and how these have been assessed. Based on an analysis of 56 studies, published in peer-reviewed journals, advertising literacy has most commonly been conceptualized as including cognitive (conceptual), affective (attitudinal), and moral dimensions. Critical reasoning, as an advertising literacy dimension, was most often assessed as students' recognition of persuasive intent, neglecting examinations of students' evaluation of advertisements as cultural products or analysis of the techniques used to accomplish persuasive ends. Assessments of advertising literacy largely focused on student outcomes, neglecting the cognitive processes involved when individuals encounter advertisements. Also, across dimensions of advertising literacy, the assessments used were predominantly rating scales. In contrast, open-ended questions capturing students’ elaborated reasoning about advertisements were often not examined. Further, process measures (e.g., eye-tracking, think-alouds) were less commonly used. Authors suggest the need to integrate the assessment of high-order thinking and critical thinking skills into frameworks of advertising literacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100817"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148539239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Place-based learning in K-12 science education: A systematic review","authors":"Jiahao Ge, Jiaqi Cheng, Xiaoyu Liang, Jianzhen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, place-based learning (PBL) has increasingly gained recognition and practice for its contribution to K-12 science education. However, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive review that systematically investigates the progress and implementation of PBL in K-12 science education. To bridge research and practice, this study conducted a systematic literature review of 68 studies published in internationally reputed journals. The findings revealed that PBL promotes authentic inquiry, fosters students' engagement in social transformation, and integrates local knowledge into science education. Scientific inquiry skills, understanding of human-environment relationships and critical thinking are identified as the main objectives. Main topics include regional sustainable development, biodiversity, and global climate change. Embodied experience, community-based project, and place-based socioscientific issues are frequently employed in the learning process. In terms of assessment, questionnaires & tests, specific formative assessment tasks are more appropriate methods. Moreover, the findings also suggest that PBL in K-12 science education encounters a range of challenges, including synergizing with standards-based science education, teachers' capacity for place-based pedagogy, differences in students’ inherent sense of place, and support from inside and outside the school. The study provides a systematic comprehension of PBL in K-12 science education, filling a gap in the existing literature, providing valuable suggestions for future research and practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100826"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148499166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A systematic review of frameworks and measurement instruments for data literacy in higher and adult education","authors":"Marlene Ganz, Marco Kalz","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100828","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100828","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The concept of data literacy suffers from a persistent theoretical and definitional fragmentation. To contribute to more coherence in the field, we introduce two systematic literature reviews. Together, they provide an integrated overview of how data literacy is conceptualized in competency frameworks and represented in measurement instruments. The first review analyzed 15 frameworks developed for higher education and related contexts after applying rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. The content analysis focused on target groups, structural characteristics, and competency dimensions. The second review examined six instruments designed to assess data literacy after applying rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. The content analysis focused on targeted competencies, validation approaches, and provided a quality appraisal. The synthesis shows that frameworks describe data literacy in broad and multidimensional terms, whereas instruments capture only a narrower subset of competencies, often emphasizing technical skills while reflective and ethical dimensions remain underrepresented. Most instruments rely on self-report formats and provide limited validation evidence, raising concerns about their ability to capture applied and context-dependent competencies. Building on these insights, the study proposes a Core–Periphery Framework (COPERDALE) that distinguishes a stable core of fundamental skills from more flexible, context-dependent competencies. This structure clarifies which dimensions can be universally assessed and which require contextual adaptation. Beyond conceptual clarification, the findings underscore the need to diversify assessment practices, moving beyond self-reports toward approaches that better capture applied, reflective and ethical aspects of data literacy. The review thereby offers both a structured conceptual foundation and directions for advancing research and educational practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100828"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148656987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jin Sun, Shuang Xie, Jian-Bin Li, Jiajia Li, Fangmeng Mu
{"title":"Early mathematics interventions in pre-primary education: A three-level meta-analysis of intentional teaching and exploratory play approaches","authors":"Jin Sun, Shuang Xie, Jian-Bin Li, Jiajia Li, Fangmeng Mu","doi":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early mathematics interventions in pre-primary education are generally effective, but prior syntheses rarely distinguish the dominant pedagogical approach used and provide limited evidence on which study or implementation features are associated with effects within each approach. This three-level meta-analysis synthesized 74 studies (2000–2025) of early mathematics interventions in preschool and kindergarten, focusing on two broad pedagogical approaches: intentional teaching and exploratory play. Studies were classified by dominant pedagogical emphasis as intentional teaching (<em>k</em> = 56) or exploratory play (<em>k</em> = 18), yielding 566 effect sizes. Both approaches were associated with positive effects on children's learning (intentional teaching: <em>g</em> = 0.32; exploratory play: <em>g</em> = 0.21), and the difference between approaches was not statistically significant. Moderator analyses examined heterogeneity by program design, intervention conditions and outcome evaluation. For intentional teaching, effects were larger for advanced numeracy outcomes (quantitative comparison: <em>g</em> = 0.42; calculation: <em>g</em> = 0.45) than for foundational number and counting skills (<em>g</em> = 0.21). Effects also attenuated over time, with smaller follow-up than immediate post-test effects (post-test: <em>g</em> = 0.34; follow-up: <em>g</em> = 0.20), suggesting partial fadeout. For exploratory play, interventions incorporating contextual scenarios showed larger effects (<em>g</em> = 0.47) than those without (<em>g</em> = 0.13), and effects were stronger for math-specific outcomes (<em>g</em> = 0.26) than for non-math outcomes (<em>g</em> = −0.01). Overall, the findings support the use of both pedagogical approaches in early mathematics programs and highlight the need to align instructional design with targeted numeracy goals and to sustain learning gains over time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48125,"journal":{"name":"Educational Research Review","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100830"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148767478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}