Greater diversity, faster change? The role of the educational setting in the development of advanced theory of mind among primary school children

The aim of this study was to replicate and extend a previous study on the role of the educational setting in the development of advanced theory of mind (AToM). The previous study had shown that the children's AToM developed significantly faster in inclusive classes rather than the traditional type, which houses only typically developing students. We analysed longitudinal data on 614 typically developing children, who were learning in 24 inclusive ( n = 285 children) and 21 traditional ( n = 329) primary school classes. The children were followed for two years, from the first to the third grade. In the study discussed here, we were able to repeat the previous result while controlling for cognitive and social factors that are important for AToM development. Moreover, we demonstrated, at least to some extent, a possible mechanism behind the difference. In inclusive classrooms, teachers' practices are focused mostly on the development of AToM abilities among children with weaker skills, while in traditional education classrooms, teachers tend to work with children whose abilities are stronger.