Theory of Mind Training Improves Children's Teaching and Learning Understanding: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• In Event: Factors Contributing to Children's Development

Abstract

The study was aimed to replicate the previous report on the concurrent association between young children’s teaching and learning understanding and their developing theory of mind in a longitudinal design, and demonstrate that mental state talk training using picture book reading in a classroom setting could significantly improve children’s teaching and learning understanding in a randomized controlled trial. One hundred and five children between 46 and 64 months participated in the study, around half of whom went through an 8-week picture book reading intervention. The findings showed that the experimental group gained more in their teaching and learning understanding comparing to the control group, controlling for demographic variables and cognitive correlates.

Author

• Zhenlin Wang, The Education University of Hong Kong