Educational psychology

Background. The classical “lever balance problem” has always been a challenge for students, as it requires special coordination of weight and distance changes. At the core of this coordination lies the “third” magnitude of the multiplicative structure, the torque, which is often overlooked in psychological research on the development of the equilibrium concept.

Objective. An introductory computer-supported module was developed based on the principles of developmental instruction (Davydov). Our research goal was to demonstrate one of the delayed effects of the preliminary multiplicative concept formation in the fifth grade on students’ acquiring the corresponding topic in elementary physics of the seventh grade.

Design. The experimental group included 43 seventh-graders who had been taught using our introductory equilibrium curriculum two years prior (4 lessons). The control group (44 seventh-graders) from the same schools had not participated in any special curriculum. The assessment procedure simulated the “physics lesson” with reading the textbook and watching the educational video. Then students had to complete five balance tasks of two types (with one or multiple locations for weights on each lever arm).

Results. The results revealed that students in the experimental group did significantly better solving the “scattered weights” problems. When the digital simulation allowed all students to resort to trials, the control group relied on the "trial and error" method significantly more than the experimental group.

Conclusion. Students’ adherence to the “conceptual” approach was most clearly revealed through their way of solving “scattered weights” tasks and the number of “excessive” trials in computer simulation. The results proved the lasting effect of our introductory curriculum.

Background. Parenting styles shape children’s academic performance and psychological well-being, yet previous research has not distinguished the separate effects of fathers and mothers on boys and girls, nor has it examined the mediating role of social comparison in these relationships.

Objective. To examine gender-specific differences in the effects of fathers’ and mothers’ parenting styles and explore the mediating role of social comparison among Vietnamese high school students.

Design. A sample of Vietnamese high school students (N = 661) completed self-report measures assessing perceived parenting styles, social comparison, academic performance, and psychological distress levels.

Results. The findings revealed that while fathers’ authoritative and authoritarian styles were not significantly associated with boys’ academic performance, authoritarian parenting was linked to lower academic outcomes among girls. Fathers’ permissive style showed a positive association with girls’ academic performance but was also related to higher distress levels across both genders. For mothers, the authoritarian style appeared more detrimental to girls’ academic outcomes than to boys’, whereas the authoritative style was associated with lower distress only among girls. Regarding indirect effects, social comparison played a significant mediating role in several relationships, particularly for mothers’ parenting. Specifically, mothers’ authoritarian style was related to higher academic performance and greater distress through social comparison in both genders. Conversely, mothers’ authoritative style improved boys’ academic performance via social comparison, whereas fathers’ permissive style was associated with improved academic performance among girls and increased distress across genders through the same mechanism.

Conclusion. Our findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive parenting interventions that consider the distinct roles of fathers and mothers in shaping academic and psychological outcomes. Additionally, promoting healthy social comparison strategies in schools may help mitigate distress and enhance students’ academic motivation.