Children's self-talk in naturalistic classroom settings in middle childhood: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Children's self-talk, also known as inner speech, is an adaptive tool for regulating learning and managing the social demands of classrooms. This systematic literature review identified and analysed the existing research on children's self-talk in naturalistic classroom settings in middle childhood. Twenty-four empirical studies on naturalistic self-talk in classrooms met the inclusion criteria and were quality rated. The study methods were varied, and included reflective techniques (e.g., questionnaires, journals, and thought listing) and momentary techniques (e.g., experience sampling method, think alouds). The studies were mainly grounded in sociocultural theory or metacognition. Generally, studies found that self-talk functioned to help children to regulate task engagement and cope with social challenges. Self-talk was also highly malleable: it was moderated across studies by internal and external factors including age, gender, ability, creativity, anxiety, and interactions with teachers and classmates. Suggestions for theory, methodology, and practice are discussed.