The argument that Working Memory (WM) is especially important for reading comprehension has been supported in previous research. The aim of this study was to test a non-computerized WM training method to improve children's reading comprehension in a longitudinal design. 38 Danish children in 3 rd and 4 th grade (M ¼ 112.9 months, SD ¼ 7.90 months) were divided into a training group (N ¼ 18) and a control group (N ¼ 20). Assessments of sentence reading comprehension and WM were administered at pre-and post-test, half-year and one-year follow-up. Verbal WM and reading comprehension were not improved following training. Visuo-spatial WM improved at post-training, but the effect did not last into the one-year follow up. The role of WM in reading comprehension and the pedagogical implications for teaching are discussed.

School classrooms within the EU are multilingual learning environments. The diversity of pupils in classrooms raises significant challenges for teachers, but to date, there are no data from large-scale surveys that compare views within and across European countries. A bespoke questionnaire was designed to examine views of current classroom learning environments with respect to the multilingualism. The questionnaire was piloted and subsequently completed by 2792 teachers across different European countries. Eleven countries provided sufficient data for analyses. Results from structural equation modelling showed that teachers’ attitudes could be reliably measured across Europe with the use of carefully devised questionnaire, whose loading and factor structure remained invariant across countries. Teachers’ views about multilingualism were most challenged by the numbers of children in their classes, not the percentage of multilingual pupils in the class. Countries differed in how they perceived multilingualism, with their differences leading to distinctive country clusters. Gender and education level (elementary vs. secondary) differences were also observed irrespective of country. These findings enhance our understanding of the role that the characteristics of teachers and their classrooms play in a multilingual setting across diverse European settings. The practical relevance of the results and new opportunities for teacher training are discussed.

Multiple cognitive skills support the acquisition of proficient reading skills. Higher order processing abilities allowing the engagement and integration of multiple ideas collectively referred to as executive functions may be particularly important in reading comprehension. In the present study, 39 Danish school age children completed executive function tasks tapping cognitive flexibility and working memory, as well as measures of reading comprehension, nonword reading, receptive language and nonverbal intelligence. Results revealed that unique variance in children's sentence reading comprehension was explained by their abilities in the cognitive flexibility tasks even after differences in age, decoding, naming speed, receptive language, working memory and nonverbal intelligence were taken into account. The results are discussed in relation to the generalisability of the relationship between cognitive flexibility and reading comprehension across different languages and future research investigating the potential of these findings for reading intervention.

Multilingualism is a major feature of European schools. Using the Multilingual Classroom questionnaire devised by the European Literacy Network, the current study examines Danish data from a questionnaire concerning teachers' behaviours, beliefs, and attitudes with regard to multilingualism in a Danish school setting. Sixty-one participants contributed to the Danish sample (85% females). The teachers who completed the questionnaire had a positive attitude to multilingualism, the value of maintaining and supporting children's first language 1 (L1), and the importance of proficiency in L1 for developing language and literacy in children's second language (L2). Teachers' attitudes were influenced by their proficiency in a foreign language.Limitations and pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed.1 First language or mother tongue refer to language acquired in early childhood before the age of 3 year

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