'I will do my very best!' Children who engage in positive self-talk about effort can boost their math achievement

'I will do my very best!' Children who engage in positive self-talk about effort can boost their math achievement:

(Society for Research in Child Development) Children who think poorly of themselves often underachieve in school. A new Dutch study tested whether a simple mental activity -- having children with low self-confidence say favorable, encouraging words to themselves -- could boost their achievement. The study found that children who engaged in this kind of self-talk improved their math performance when the talk focused on effort, not ability.