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Effects Of Executive Function Skills Instruction On Classroom Behavior, Michelle Whitham

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Executive functions, a set of interrelated processes that facilitate organization and self control, impact many aspects of academic and social success. This study investigates the benefits of executive function skills instruction on classroom behavior. Factor analyses reveal executive function orients around three distinct but interrelated factors: inhibition, working memory, and flexibility. Using a spiraling curriculum eight fourth and fifth grade students from a suburban Title 1 elementary school were directly taught these skills over ten 30 minute sessions. Using a pre/post survey of behavior indicative of executive function, both students and teachers expressed mixed results suggesting some impact of the …