Shaping minds together: A pilot study of the cooperation council’s impact on 8-year-olds’ executive function
Auteur(s)
Cassaz, Amélie
Bressoud, Nicolas
Pädagogische Hochschule Wallis
Type
Article dans une revue scientifique
Date de publication
2026-04
Langue de la référence
Anglais
Entité HEP
Unité(s) / centre(s) de recherche hors HEP
Pädagogische Hochschule Wallis
Résumé
Self-regulation, including executive function (EF), refers to essential processes that enable children to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in alignment with environmental demands, particularly in school settings. While various interventions exist to enhance EF, there is a need for cost-effective, classroom-based approaches. This pilot study examined whether a nine-week cooperative council intervention could enhance EF performance in 8-year-old children. Seventy-six students from six fourth-grade classes were assigned to either an experimental group, which engaged in weekly structured cooperative councils, or a control group, which followed standard curriculum. EF was measured pre- and post-intervention using an adapted Head–Toes–Knees–Shoulders task. Results revealed a significant greater improvement in EF among the experimental group. We argue that cooperative councils support cognitive development by requiring inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility during social interactions. These low-cost, classroom-based routines may offer a practical avenue to foster self-regulation and learning in everyday school settings. Future work should involve randomized designs, longitudinal follow-up, and exploration of mechanisms underlying EF improvement.
Titre du périodique
Maison d’édition
Elsevier BV
ISSN
0885-2014
Peer Reviewed
Portée (nationale / internationale)
Internationale
Volume / Tome
78
Pagination
101702
Fichier(s)![Vignette d'image]()
En cours de chargement...
Full-text
Nom
Gay_et_al_2026_CognDev.pdf
Taille
738.17 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
6fe1a7cae077f7152d66dfef7e483e1c