From lab to classroom: the rise of interpersonal neural synchronization in educational neuroscience

Abstract Educational neuroscience, an emerging interdisciplinary field, has yet to establish a unified conceptual framework that directly addresses the complexities of real-world learning. This perspective article critiques the field’s traditional reliance on decontextualized laboratory findings and animal models, arguing that such approaches fail to capture the inherently social and interactive nature of human education. It posits that a significant gap—a “bridge too far”—persists between fundamental neuroscience and educational practice. To bridge this gap, we advocate for a fundamental reorientation toward studying learning within authentic educational contexts, proposing interpersonal neural synchronization as a key methodology and biomarker. The article systematically reviews recent empirical evidence from real-world classroom settings, demonstrating how interpersonal neural synchronization can reveal the neural underpinnings of teacher-student rapport, knowledge construction, attention dynamics, and social-emotional bonding. We further illustrate the paradigm’s utility in challenging research contexts, including early childhood and special education. Ultimately, this article calls for educational neuroscience to move beyond its role as a mere “translator” of cognitive neuroscience and instead forge its own independent research paradigms. By embracing the social, interactive brain, the field can develop an authentic science of teaching and learning with direct implications for educational improvement.