Students from the psychology program at ELTE are examining the measurement data obtained using the Sensorimotor and Cognitive Profile Test applied in our research project. Two theses have been completed on this topic:

• Evelin Haász: The relationship between cognitive and sensorimotor abilities and school performance among first-grade students – the thesis can be read here.
• Hanga Kiss: The relationship between working memory, fluid intelligence, and phonemic awareness and first-grade school performance – the thesis can be read here.

At the closure of the school-based component of the research project, the rector of the college, Zoltán Gloviczki, and the project leader, Éva Gyarmathy awarded the Innovative Teacher and Innovative Leader certificates to the participating teachers, and the principals. The final meeting included our presentation of the work completed and the results achieved to date.

One of the primary objectives of our research project is to assess the attitudes of teachers instructing first-grade students toward the transformation of the learning environment, to examine the impact of the methodological intervention, and to evaluate the innovativeness of the teachers. To conclude the school-based methodological component of the project, we organized focus groups within workshop settings. In these workshops, we questioned teachers on three main topics: innovation, methodology, and data-driven decision making.

The evaluation of the second-grade children involved in the research project is approaching completion. Our observations indicate a significant reduction in technical issues, with teachers being better equipped with necessary tools, such as tablets and touchscreen laptops, which were readily available. The children also demonstrated increased maturity and capability to engage in the tests. Nevertheless, there was a decline in the number of classes participating in the second test. Specifically, 737 children were tested, compared to 1,050 children in the initial evaluation. Despite this reduction, the dataset remains sufficient for statistical analysis.

The second testing of the classes participating in the research will take place in May and June. Nearly a thousand children in second grade will complete tasks similar to those in first grade on a tablet or touchscreen laptop with the help of their teacher. In late April, teachers received online training to refresh their knowledge on how to use the test.

The Sensory Motor and Cognitive Profile Test for young children worked excellently in the first-grade assessments. Now, children in second grade are given tasks relevant to their age and tasks that measure their level of school readiness in numeracy and literacy. In addition, Quatro Blocks as a test is making its debut.

On 25 April, as a session of the 10th Christian Education Conference at the Apor Vilmos Catholic College, we held an interactive research workshop entitled “The Angelic Circle of Autonomy and Well-being”. Judit Gombás, Éva Gyarmathy and Mónika Turmezei presented the results of their research to date, and a very useful discussion ensued. The main topics were:

• The interaction between well-being and autonomy
• Shaping data-driven learning environments – profile studies
• Methodological developments
• Experiences of introducing methodological improvements – case studies
• Teachers’ mental health survey results

Questions and suggestions from conference participants will help to process research data and progress with the research. We received a lot of confirmation of the importance of the topic. Teachers’ professional autonomy is a fundamental need in the face of 21st century challenges.

The school component of the project will conclude on June 15, 2024. Prior to the end of this research phase, and as part of the broader learning environment assessment, we aimed to gather the experiences and perspectives of school administrators and headteachers involved in the development activities. To achieve this, we conducted brief professional interviews with representatives from the school-district principals and headteachers from the participating schools. These interviews focused on eliciting the headteachers’ knowledge and opinions about the research, as well as their insights into various other aspects of the project.

With the professional support of the MTA-AVKF Research Group, a Doctoral Meeting entitled “Methods, Measurements, Dilemmas” was organized at the Apor Vilmos Catholic College. The aim of the conference, which will be held annually from now on, is to provide information, experiences, opportunities for contest, and networking for young people participating in doctoral work or intending to start in this direction.

In the fall, experiment schools tested the online training based on the Mondrian Blocks game for the first time. Following the feedback of teachers, improvements were made to fix the errors, and now in February, children can play the puzzle game. Feedback indicates that the only issue remaining is that among the mobile devices available in schools, there are several very old types on which the program cannot run.

Our research team is holding a meeting at the College on the afternoon of 8th September. The main topics will be the mid-term report, evaluation of the work done so far, organisation of the international project and planning for further research work in the HAS-AVCC project.