Evaluating the rationale and evidence supporting executive functions skills instruction in the classroom: A critical review

Abstract

Executive functions are widely considered as an umbrella term for the higher order cognitive processes that contribute to goal‐directed behavior. In addition, executive functions are highly correlated with positive academic outcomes. To promote the development of executive functions among youth within educational settings, some theorists and clinicians have proposed methods of explicitly instructing executive functioning skills, such as planning, organization, time management, and self‐regulation skills. This critical review serves to evaluate the theoretical rationale and the supporting evidence of the six most cited handbooks for improving executive functions skills among elementary and high school students via class‐wide instruction. Research that cited these handbooks and that addressed whole‐class instruction of executive skills was evaluated and critiqued according to the four levels of the Every Students Succeeds Act. The overall evidence supporting each handbook was then critiqued as lacking, emerging, or sufficient. Although the handbooks are informed by theory and clinical experience, the supporting research is limited to mostly Level 3 and 4 evidence, as defined by the ESSA framework, including only a handful of case studies and small sampled quasi‐experimental studies. Overall, the evidence supporting the explicit instruction of executive functioning skills through a class‐wide approach is lacking and more rigorous research is still required. Best practices for instructing executive functioning skills to students and directions for future research are discussed.

Refinement and Validation of Research Instrument for Assessing Executive Functioning Skills in the Post-Pandemic Education: The MEASURE Approach

“…This delay can be attributed to the limited development of cognitive skills and the relatively low levels of executive functioning skills (Jansen et al, 2021). The development of executive functions not only varies among individuals but also within individuals, as evidenced by research highlighting wide disparities in executive development (D'Intino, 2023). Executive functions play a pivotal role in adapting to new environmental stimuli, particularly when such adaptations necessitate the development of new behaviors for success (Pasqualotto et al, 2021).…”

Effects of classroom‐based social problem‐solving training on elementary school children: Investigating the moderating role of executive function

“…Executive function refers to the higher‐order cognitive ability to control and optimize one's behavior for a specific goal while driving its components, including working memory, shifting (cognitive flexibility), and inhibition (Huizinga et al, 2006; Miyake & Friedman, 2012; Miyake et al, 2000). Executive function continues to develop gradually from infancy to the late teens, whereas the ability to control impulsivity and desire is formed during school childhood (D'Intino, 2022; Moriguchi, 2019). As executive function involves emotion regulation, planning, and successful goal‐setting, it is a foundational ability that influences cognitive processing and problem‐solving among children (Lecce et al, 2020; Sankalaite et al, 2021).…”