<p> This study examined the effects of a self-regulation strategy, self-talk, on the improvement of executive function. Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes that underlie goal-directed behavior. These processes guide, direct, and manage thinking, emotional responses, and behavior. High executive function has been correlated with academic achievement. Early childhood teachers play an important role in helping young children learn to regulate thinking and behavior. This mixed-design experimental study demonstrated the ease of including self-talk in the daily curriculum through the use of children's literature. The 53 participants were third-graders in an elementary school setting. The Teacher Form of the Delis Rating of Executive Function (D-REF) measured executive function as pre- and posttest for the control and experimental groups. A 2 x 2 split-plot ANOVA calculated the effects of the group assigned and executive function. Students in the experimental group were interviewed following the intervention to obtain student perceptions of self-talk and its impact on learning. Results indicated that students in the self-talk classes showed significant improvement in executive function skills. The findings offer useful insight to the benefits of self-talk in the elementary school setting.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3714003 |
| Date | 09 September 2015 |
| Creators | Witherington, Jan S. |
| Publisher | Piedmont College |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds