Projects
How does formal schooling affect the development of arithmetic, its neurocognitive predictors and its underlying brain networks? KU Leuven
At the ages 5 to 7, there are massive developmental changes in children’s neurocognitive functioning and brain development. These changes also coincide with the transition to formal education in primary school, during which there is a major change in modes of instruction from learning via less-structured playful activities in kindergarten, to learning via more structured and formal direct instruction in first grade. A critical question is how ...
Effective in French KU Leuven
The research “EFFECTive in FRENCH: a blended learning path for (future) primary education teachers” is part of a call from the Flemish Government. The aim is to strengthen teachers (in training) in the field of research-informed French didactics. Over a period of two years, a blended course will be developed and implemented in the educational bachelor of the teacher training courses involved. In addition, the course is implemented in selected ...
The long run impact of the COVID-19 school closures. KU Leuven
Due to the restrictions owing to COVID-19, the world experienced a school lockdown of an unprecedented scope and duration.
This research focusses on Flanders where first evidence suggests significant learning losses in all tested subjects and an increase in inequality both within and across schools. The present research investigates the long term impact of the school closures as well as the impact of governing structures and initiatives ...
The Schooled Society Index: Measuring the increased centrality of education and its societal consequences from a global perspective Vrije Universiteit Brussel
revolution whereby education has gradually become a primary and
authoritative institution in society. I empirically explore and map
cross-national variation regarding the multiple dimensions of
'schooled societies' and its direct and indirect effects on citizen’s
thinking, feeling and behaving. I aim to answer three interrelated
research ...
The influence of management practices on school districts' performance KU Leuven
In the search for economies of scale and driven by New Public Management theories which focus on professionalism and optimization, there is growing tendency to increase the scale of operations in public sector entities (Alonso et al., 2013). This results in mergers, acquisitions and joint-ventures. The trend is spreading towards education (e.g. Jarl et al., 2012). The Flemish government, for example, is looking for opportunities to implement ...
The role of a non-mandatory low-stakes summative evaluation system in the improvement of reading instruction KU Leuven
While reading comprehension is more vital than ever for participation in education and society (OECD, 2016; Binkley et al., 2010), international tests such as PIRLS 2016 have shown a significant decline in the reading skills of young Flemish students (Mullis et al., 2017). In response, experts and educational institutions made an important recommendation: deliberately use of assessment instruments to monitor reading comprehension throughout ...