Theory of mind at school: academic outcomes and the influence of the school context

Serena Lecce; R.T. Devine

doi:10.1002/icd.2274

Theory of mind at school: academic outcomes and the influence of the school context

Serena Lecce, R.T. Devine

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

The recent expansion of research on children’s understanding of others’ minds (or ‘theory of mind’) into middle childhood provides fresh opportunities to consider its origins and consequences. In this paper, we propose that, in addition to supporting children’s social interactions, individual differences in theory of mind benefit academic achievement, in particular, reading comprehension and scientific reasoning. Furthermore, we argue that the school and classroom context can influence individual differences in theory of mind and its ongoing development in middle childhood. We suggest future directions for research to test these claims, which will provide a new perspective on the consequences of theory of mind and test the developmental continuity of socio-cultural accounts of mindreading.

Original language	English
Article number	e2274
Journal	Infant and Child Development
Early online date	11 Oct 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2274
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 11 Oct 2021

Keywords

Middle Childhood
academic achievement
schooling
theory of mind

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Developmental and Educational Psychology
Education

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1002/icd.2274Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

LecceS2021TheoryFinal published version, 456 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

1 Article

Children in ethnically diverse classrooms and those with cross-ethnic friendships excel at understanding others' minds
Devine, R., Grumley Traynor, I., Ronchi, L. & Lecce, S., 1 Mar 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Child Development. 15 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Cite this

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Theory of mind at school: academic outcomes and the influence of the school context

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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Research output

Children in ethnically diverse classrooms and those with cross-ethnic friendships excel at understanding others' minds

Cite this