Effect of the Education Model by Experience on the executive functions of children and adolescents

Abstract

Introduction. The social context can influence the biological maturation process, favoring or damaging the functioning of the nervous system. The impact of the environment on the frontal lobe is of great relevance since the so-called Executive Functions (EF) are developed there. EFs are in charge of planning, anticipating, executing behavior and emotional regulation. Developing of intervention strategies that favor prosocial behaviors in children by promoting listening, dialogue, decision, and transcendence could generate changes in behavior and benefits processes related to executive functions. The Education by Experience (ExE) Model focuses on addressing issues related to respect, commitment, coexistence in harmony, gender equality, human rights, care for nature, health, and well-being, taking into account the school as an agent of change through the participation of students, teachers and parents.
 
 Method. The objective of this study was to know the effect of the ExE intervention program on the EFs of childhood and adolescence in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. A total of 316 boys, girls, and adolescents aged 8 to 15 (142 men and 174 women), 4th, 5th, and 6th grade of primary school and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade of secondary school, both from public schools, participated. Participants were selected by simple random sampling and assigned to one of the two experimental groups or to the control group. A pre-post pre-experimental type design was used with three groups (Experimental Group A, Experimental Group B, and Control Group). The recommendations and guidelines of the Code of Ethics of the Psychologist were followed. The evaluation consisted of applying a battery of neuropsychological instruments suitable for the Mexican child and adolescent population, known as BANFE-2, for its acronym in Spanish. The experimental and replica group received training in 10 of the components of the EXE model. Subsequently, the data were analyzed. 
 
 Results. The measurements of the neuropsychological tasks of the EFs carried out before and after participating with the ExE Model allowed to identify that the children of the primary and middle school presented improvements in EFs mainly related to the orbitomedial region and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The most obvious changes were observed in the primary school participants, where there were statistically significant differences between the pre and post-evaluation of the experimental groups, which were not observed in the control group. These improvements are linked in primary school participants to the identification and regulation of emotions, while in middle school adolescents, the changes are related to the ability to plan, organize and solve problems. In both primary and middle schools, it is observed that the effect size index ranges from low to moderate.
 
 Discussion and Conclusion. The students who participated in the ExE program showed an increase in the scores in executive functions tasks, specifically in those obtained in the orbitomedial and dorsolateral subscales, which are related to the identification and regulation of emotions. This study allows us to recognize the impact of the ExE educational model as a preventive strategy and facilitator of personal and social resources with positive results in the tasks of executive functions. Finally, the role of teachers as facilitating agents of change and the advantages of implementing a model based on values as a strategy for the promotion of well-being in educational settings is discussed.