From Brain Development to Academic Success: Optimizing Learning Outcomes Through Lifestyle and Connection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.3689Keywords:
Learning Outcomes, brain development, learning capacityAbstract
Early childhood brain development plays a key role in an individual’s learning capacity to learn. However, many children, especially those from low-income households, have fewer resources to allocate to developing a safe learning environment required to obtain a higher quality education, which, in turn, impacts cognitive development through reduced opportunity as opposed to innate capacity to learn. Thus, it is crucial to study this current issue to increase opportunities for academic success and ability to learn. Here, research will examine the factors that influence brain development and learning outcomes in children, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. Additionally this research will investigate how learning occurs across developmental stages in the brain. Next, lifestyle factors such as nutrition and physical activity that influence learning and the impact of socioeconomic status will be analyzed. Results will be used to propose several recommendations on methods for optimization of learning in children. The overall objective of this study is to identify strategies that can support informing educators, families, and policymakers to help improve academic progress of children, especially those from low income backgrounds, to obtain full learning potential through evaluating how brain development, daily lifestyle behaviors, and socioeconomic status influence learning outcomes in children.
References
Abbas, Z., & Karim, N. (2023). Opinion of Early Childhood Development Coordinators Regarding Importance of Nutrition for Cognitive Development of Young Children at ECD Level. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 12(4), 715-725.
Alexander, R., Aragón, O. R., Bookwala, J., Cherbuin, N., Gatt, J. M., Kahrilas, I. J., ... & Styliadis, C. (2021). The neuroscience of positive emotions and affect: Implications for cultivating happiness and wellbeing. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 121, 220-249.
Alexandra Kredlow, M., Fenster, R. J., Laurent, E. S., Ressler, K. J., & Phelps, E. A. (2022). Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and threat processing: implications for PTSD. Neuropsychopharmacology, 47(1), 247-259.
Amran, M. S., Rahman, S., Surat, S., & Bakar, A. Y. A. (2019). Connecting neuroscience and education: Insight from neuroscience findings for better instructional learning. Journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 7(2), 341-352.
Arida, R. M., & Teixeira-Machado, L. (2021). The contribution of physical exercise to brain resilience. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 14, 626769.
Blashill, M. M. (2016). Academic stress and working memory in elementary school students.
Broer, M., Bai, Y., & Fonseca, F. (2019). A review of the literature on socioeconomic status and educational achievement. Socioeconomic inequality and educational outcomes: Evidence from twenty years of TIMSS, 7-17.
Campo-Arias, A., & De Mendieta, C. T. (2021). Social determinants of mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic in low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet Global Health, 9(8), e1029-e1030.
Chaput, J. P., Dutil, C., & Sampasa-Kanyinga, H. (2018). Sleeping hours: what is the ideal number and how does age impact this?. Nature and science of sleep, 421-430.
Cherukunnath, D., & Singh, A. P. (2022). Exploring Cognitive Processes of Knowledge Acquisition to Upgrade Academic Practices. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 682628. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.682628
Chow, C. M. (2022). Sleep hygiene practices: where to now?. Hygiene, 2(3), 146-151.
Costa, K. M., & Schoenbaum, G. (2022). Dopamine. Current Biology, 32(15), R817-R824.
Costello, S. E., Geiser, E., & Schneider, N. (2021). Nutrients for executive function development and related brain connectivity in school-aged children. Nutrition Reviews, 79(12), 1293-1306.
Cox, R., Hatzikiriakidis, K., Tate, R., Bruce, L., Smales, M., Crawford‐Tagliaferro, A., ... & Skouteris, H. (2024). Implementing the HEALing Matters program in residential out‐of‐home care: Evaluation of carers' commitment to promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 59(3), 705-728.
Dalal, M., Cazorla-Lancaster, Y., Chu, C. G., & Agarwal, N. (2022). Healthy from the start—lifestyle interventions in early childhood. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 16(5), 562-569.
Deng, Y., Cherian, J., Khan, N. U. N., Kumari, K., Sial, M. S., Comite, U., ... & Popp, J. (2022). Family and academic stress and their impact on students' depression level and academic performance. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 869337.
Djurakulova, D. (2024). The science of adolescent brain development. Translation Studies and Linguistics in the Digital Age: Exploring Cutting-Edge Approaches, 1(1), 89–95. Retrieved from https://inlibrary.uz/index.php/linguistics-digital-age/article/view/34936
Eyles, D. W. (2021). Vitamin D: brain and behavior. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Plus, 5(1), e10419.
Fakhoury, M., Eid, F., El Ahmad, P., Khoury, R., Mezher, A., El Masri, D., ... & Stephan, J. S. (2022). Exercise and dietary factors mediate neural plasticity through modulation of BDNF signaling. Brain Plasticity, 8(1), 121-128.
Genc, S., Raven, E. P., Drakesmith, M., Blakemore, S. J., & Jones, D. K. (2023). Novel insights into axon diameter and myelin content in late childhood and adolescence. Cerebral Cortex, 33(10), 6435-6448.
Hanson, J. L., Adkins, D. J., Nacewicz, B. M., & Barry, K. R. (2023). Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Amygdala and Hippocampus Subdivisions in Children and Adolescents. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2023.03.10.532071. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.03.10.532071
Henríquez-Beltrán, M., Zapata-Lamana, R., Ibarra-Mora, J., Sepúlveda-Martin, S., Martinez, L., & Cigarroa, I. (2022). Asociación entre problemas de sueño y rendimiento escolar: Resultados de la encuesta de salud y rendimiento escolar de la provincia del Biobío 2018 [Association between sleep disorders and academic performance: Finding of health survey and academic performance in the Bio-Bio province 2018]. Andes pediatrica : revista Chilena de pediatria, 93(2), 235–246. https://doi.org/10.32641/andespediatr.v93i2.3734
Hernández, M. M., Valiente, C., Eisenberg, N., Berger, R. H., Spinrad, T. L., VanSchyndel, S. K., Silva, K. M., Southworth, J., & Thompson, M. S. (2017). Elementary Students' Effortful Control and Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Teacher-Student Relationship Quality. Early childhood research quarterly, 40, 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.10.004
Imran, M., Sultana, Z., & Ahmed, S. (2023). The Influence of Student-Teacher Interactions on Secondary School Students' Academic Performance. Benazir Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(1), 2008-2024.
Jirout, J., LoCasale-Crouch, J., Turnbull, K., Gu, Y., Cubides, M., Garzione, S., Evans, T. M., Weltman, A. L., & Kranz, S. (2019). How Lifestyle Factors Affect Cognitive and Executive Function and the Ability to Learn in Children. Nutrients, 11(8), 1953. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081953
Katz, V., & Rideout, V. (2021). Learning at Home While Under-Connected: Lower-Income Families during the COVID-19 Pandemic. New America.
Khany, R., & Barzan, P. (2025). The influence of classroom environment on cognitive and emotional engagement. Journal of Cognition, Emotion & Education, 3(2), 1-17.
Maina Aboyo H. (2024). Effect of Nutrition on the Mental Development of Children. RESEARCH INVENTION JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC AND EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES 3(2):79- 84
Melo, J. E. A., Ariza, H. H. L., & Marin, E. V. L. (2024). Physical activity in students and its association with attention: A systematic review. Retos: nuevas tendencias en educación física, deporte y recreación, (56), 834-845.
Moon, H. Y., & Praag, H. V. (2019). Physical Activity and Brain Plasticity. Journal of exercise nutrition & biochemistry, 23(4), 23–25. https://doi.org/10.20463/jenb.2019.0027
Mualem, R., Morales-Quezada, L., Farraj, R. H., Shance, S., Bernshtein, D. H., Cohen, S., ... & Biswas, S. (2024). Econeurobiology and brain development in children: key factors affecting development, behavioral outcomes, and school interventions. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1376075.
Novianti, S. W., Andriyani, M., & Hastuti, D. (2022). The Relationship between The Quality of Sleep and Learning Concentration among School-Age Children. Journal of Nursing Care, 5(3).
Ortega-de San Luis, C., & Ryan, T. J. (2022). Understanding the physical basis of memory: Molecular mechanisms of the engram. The Journal of biological chemistry, 298(5), 101866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101866
Reimer, K. (2020). Teacher-student connections in the elementary school. Journal of Academic Perspectives, 20(2), 1-13.
Ritter, A., & Alvarez, I. (2020). Mindfulness and Executive Functions: Making the Case for Elementary School Practice. European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education, 10(1), 544–553. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe10010039
Ross, J. A., & Van Bockstaele, E. J. (2021). The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system in stress and arousal: unraveling historical, current, and future perspectives. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 601519.
Schmid, E., & Garrels, V. (2021). Parental involvement and educational success among vulnerable students in vocational education and training. Educational Research, 63(4), 456-473.
Skouteris, H., Green, R., Chung, A., Bergmeier, H., Amir, L. H., Baidwan, S. K., Chater, A. M., Chamberlain, C., Emond, R., Gibbons, K., Gooey, M., Hatzikiriakidis, K., Haycraft, E., Hills, A. P., Higgins, D. J., Hooper, O., Hunter, S. A., Kappelides, P., Kleve, S., Krakouer, J., … Black, M. M. (2022). Nurturing children's development through healthy eating and active living: Time for policies to support effective interventions in the context of responsive emotional support and early learning. Health & social care in the community, 30(6), e6719–e6729. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.14106
Schwartz, M. B., Chafouleas, S. M., & Koslouski, J. B. (2023). Expanding school wellness policies to encompass the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1143474.
Skouteris, H., Green, R., Chung, A., Bergmeier, H., Amir, L. H., Baidwan, S. K., Chater, A. M., Chamberlain, C., Emond, R., Gibbons, K., Gooey, M., Hatzikiriakidis, K., Haycraft, E., Hills, A. P., Higgins, D. J., Hooper, O., Hunter, S. A., Kappelides, P., Kleve, S., Krakouer, J., … Black, M. M. (2022). Nurturing children's development through healthy eating and active living: Time for policies to support effective interventions in the context of responsive emotional support and early learning. Health & social care in the community, 30(6), e6719–e6729. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.14106
Tan, J., Mao, J., Jiang, Y., & Gao, M. (2021). The influence of academic emotions on learning effects: A systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(18), 9678.
Temircan, Z. (2022). Assessment of executive functioning and social emotional learning among adolescents. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 14(Suppl. 1), 286-292.
Tyler, J. (2022). Connecting during COVID: Meeting Social and Emotional Needs of Vulnerable Elementary Students during a Pandemic. East Carolina University.
Vadivel, B., Alam, S., Nikpoo, I., & Ajanil, B. (2023). The impact of low socioeconomic background on a child’s educational achievements. Education Research International, 2023(1), 6565088.
van de Weijer-Bergsma, E., Langenberg, G., Brandsma, R., Oort, F. J., & Bögels, S. M. (2014). The effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness training as a program to prevent stress in elementary school children. Mindfulness, 5(3), 238-248.
Zhang, P., Duan, L., Ou, Y., Ling, Q., Cao, L., Qian, H., ... & Yuan, X. (2023). The cerebellum and cognitive neural networks. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 17, 1197459.
Downloads
Posted
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Research Archive of Rising Scholars
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
