EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium
Volume 14, Special Issue 1, 2024
Title
In Search of Hidden Talents: Stress-Adapted Students, Classroom Characteristics, and Academic Achievement
Author(s)
Jessica Murray & Gabriel L. Schlomer
Abstract
Researchers focusing on stress-adapted students (students who have experienced developmental adversity) have made suggestions about how to play to the cognitive strengths, or hidden talents, of these students. The results of studies in this area may provide a clear set of pedagogical recommendations for teachers who wish to adjust their practice to meet the needs of students who have experienced social and economic disadvantage. This study tested the relationships between stress-adaptedness in middle and high school students, pedagogical techniques hypothesized to benefit stress-adapted students, classroom environments characterized by conversation and movement, and class average academic success. Results showed a significant relationship between the number of stress-adapted students in a class and the class average grade, such that classrooms with more stress-adapted students tended to have lower class average grades. A positive correlation was also observed between the classrooms with more conversation and movement and class average grades. This modest association was not found, however, after controlling for stress-adaptedness and pedagogical techniques. Further moderation hypotheses were not supported. Results are discussed in terms of implications for teaching practices and areas for future research.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.59077/NULJ7668
How to cite this article:
Murray, J., & Schlomer, G. L. (2024). In search of hidden talents: Stress-adapted students, classroom characteristics, and academic achievement. The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium, 14(Sp. Iss. 1), 28-41. https://doi.org/10.59077/NULJ7668
