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

Abstract

AbstractExecutive 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.