Activated Learning in Small Groups: The Effects on Primary Students’ Executive Function Skills, Metacognition and Affect

Executive Functions (EFs) are the skills needed to execute a task and are critical components of learning. Based on the variability amongst students' EFs in a classroom and their importance for learning, it is key to find a way to support the development of EFs.

The effects of directly training EFs have limited generalisability, as such, researchers have shifted the focus to developing compensatory skills for EF difficulties. This thesis examines the potential effects of one intervention, the Activated Learning approach.

Activated Learning is a teaching approach that develops students' knowledge of EFs and collaboratively supports them to develop compensatory skills.

A core component of AL, is the Barriers and Strategies Protocol, which is based on a goal-setting technique called Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII).

The review paper evaluates the evidence for MCII with school-age students using a systematic literature review composing of 12 studies.

Findings reveal that there is some limited evidence for effectiveness. The strengths and limitations of MCII are discussed with reference to EP practice.

The empirical study explores the effects of Activated Learning when delivered in small groups.

55 eight and nine-year old students and 11 Teaching Assistants (TAs) participated in the study comprised of an intervention and waitlist control group.

It adopted a mixed methods approach (questionnaires and semi-structured interviews) to investigate the effects on students' EF skills, strategy use, and other areas.

The TAs' views of the barriers and facilitators of AL were also gathered.

The quantitative results showed no significant effects of AL, however, the qualitative thematic analysis indicated positive changes in students' EF skills, metacognition, affect, strategy use, engagement in learning and academic progress.

These results are discussed in light of research followed by recommendations for future research and educational practice.