#Studentsupport

A new international study reshapes how we understand learning by showing dopamine fuels two distinct systems: fast, problem-solving via working memory and gradual, practice-based reinforcement learning. The findings hold important implications for Thai classrooms, families managing ADHD, and policymakers shaping student support.

Researchers used advanced imaging and controlled stimulant challenges to study 100 healthy adults. They examined how natural dopamine production and methylphenidate affect different learning strategies. The results offer actionable guidance for Thailand’s education sector and health professionals.

Thai families celebrating their children’s excellent high school grades may be unprepared for what awaits at university level, according to alarming new educational research from the United States. A comprehensive investigation by leading parenting experts reveals that record numbers of high-achieving high school graduates are arriving at universities academically unprepared, despite earning mostly A’s and B’s throughout secondary education. These students face scholarship losses, academic probation, and course repetition at unprecedented rates, creating financial strain and emotional devastation for unprepared families.

A Slate parenting column this week captured a growing concern for families: more recent high school graduates are arriving at college underprepared for the academic demands they face, losing scholarships, ending up on academic probation, or needing to repeat introductory courses — even when they left high school with mostly A’s and B’s (Slate parenting column). New research from U.S. education organizations confirms the columnist’s anecdote and shows a wider pattern: high school grades have risen while standardized test scores and some measures of college performance have dropped, leaving many students — and their families — shocked by the rigour of college-level work (College Board report; ACT/EdWeek coverage). For Thai parents planning university paths for their children, these findings underline practical steps families and schools must take now to avoid similar shocks when Thai students transfer to provincial, private, or overseas universities.

As Princeton University intensifies its efforts to help students in mental health crises, questions remain about whether even the most well-resourced campuses can fully meet the needs of struggling youth. The university’s attempts to strike a balance between academic rigor and mental well-being echo a much broader challenge, one that is playing out across the United States and around the globe as young people face rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide.

A leading university grapples with mental health support for its students, highlighting how even well-resourced campuses struggle to meet rising needs. The focus is on balancing rigorous academics with well-being, a challenge echoed across Thailand and beyond.

Young people around the world face increasing anxiety, depression, and suicide risk. Campuses in the United States are confronting what health authorities describe as an ongoing youth mental health crisis. Princeton University, with its strong resources and historical culture of care, offers a revealing case study in how universities respond to pressure and trauma.

A recent BBC report reveals that school-based anxiety has soared to what mental health experts describe as “epidemic” levels in Northern Ireland, with tens of thousands of youths missing significant classroom time due to overwhelming emotional distress, autism, ADHD, and bullying. The scale of the crisis has prompted calls for urgent review of both mental health supports and how schools address students’ individual needs. With Thailand facing rising cases of adolescent mental health problems after the pandemic, these findings carry crucial implications for Thai educators, parents, and policymakers.

A global wave of school-related anxiety is prompting urgent calls for better mental health support in classrooms. In Northern Ireland, tens of thousands of students have missed substantial class time due to overwhelming distress, autism, ADHD, and bullying. The situation highlights a growing need for flexible approaches to education that protect students’ well-being while maintaining learning momentum. With Thailand reporting rising adolescent mental health concerns after the pandemic, Thai educators, parents, and policymakers can draw practical lessons from this crisis.