Optimization of executive functions from habit education in kindergarten through the principles of Universal Design for Learning

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v18i35.7852

Keywords:

Universal Design for Learning, Early childhood education, Executive function

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether an educational intervention for eating and toileting habits, designed from the principles of Universal Design for Learning, contributes to the improvement of executive functions in two to three year old students in a nursery school. An educational intervention was designed and applied for the moments of eating and toileting habits during six months, evaluating its impact on the development of executive domains. A quasi-experimental approach was used with an experimental group and a control group, using the Spanish adaptation of the Behavioral Assessment of Executive Function questionnaire, child version, BRIEF-P as pretest and posttest to determine the changes associated with the habit intervention. Quantitative results show that this intervention promotes improvement in these executive domains, presenting eating and grooming habits as mediating tasks for executive function training.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

María Jesús Martínez Ocaña, Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, España

Degree in Psychopedagogy from the National University of Distance Education (2013) and a diploma in Early Childhood Education from the University of Castilla La Mancha (2006). Since 2008 she is a career civil servant of the educational technical scale of the JCCM, working as an educator in a nursery school belonging to the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla La Mancha. From 2016 to 2018, she was the director of this nursery school. She has taught courses in preparation of oppositions for Kindergarten Specialist Technicians. Through the School of Regional Administration of Castilla La Mancha, she has been trained in active pedagogies, educational change, community participation and pedagogy of care.
Since 2023, she is a doctoral student in Pedagogy at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, developing a thesis on the influence of the education of daily habits in the integral formation of students during early childhood. In addition, since the academic year 2023-2024, she is a lecturer at the Faculty of Education of Ciudad Real, teaching contents on the educational process of children and methods of systematic observation.

Oscar Navarro Martínez, Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, España

Degree in Pedagogy from the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, a Physical Education Teacher from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a PhD in Humanities, Arts and Education from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. He has worked for more than two decades as a teacher in the stages of Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Education. He is currently Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education in Ciudad Real. He has also taught at the Center for Advanced Studies in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo), at the International University of La Rioja and at the National University of Distance Education. The main lines of research are: educational inclusion; educational treatment of students with specific educational support needs; attention to the cultural diversity of people; elimination of prejudice in education; development and use of multimedia materials with children in primary education, the use of LMS systems in basic education.

References

Alba Pastor, C., Sánchez Serrano, J. M., & Zubillaga del Río, A. (2018). DUA. Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje. Documento adaptado a la versión 2018. Edelvives. https://bit.ly/3Yb9X7R

Alvarez, A. B., Casasola, J. C., & Zambrano, M. A. (2015). Timing and the schooling process in kindergarten and first grade. Cuadernos de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, 47, 233-257.

Bernier, A., Côté, S. M., Lapolice Thériault, R., & Leclerc, G. (2024). On executive functioning and childcare: The moderating role of parent–child interactions. Developmental Science, 27(5), e13534. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13534

Bierman, K. L., Domitrovich, C. E., Nix, R. L., Gest, S. D., Welsh, J. A., Greenberg, M. T., Blair, C., Nelson, K. E., & Gill, S. (2008). Promoting academic and social-emotional school readiness: The head start REDI program. Child Development, 79(6), 1802-1817. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01227.x

Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2004). Herramientas de la mente. El aprendizaje en la infancia desde la perspectiva de Vygotsky. Pearson Educación de México. https://bit.ly/3Yb9X7R

Centro de Tecnología Especial Aplicada. (2024). About Universal Design for Learning. CAST. https://bit.ly/3Yb9X7R

Coca, E. M. V., Jacho, A. S. C., Cortez, V. C. C., & Loya, M. A. Q. (2024). El papel de la innovación en la educación infantil: Vinculando la escuela con la familia. Revista Social Fronteriza, 4(5), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.59814/resofro.2024.4(5)437

Code, J. (2020). Agency for learning: Intention, motivation, self-efficacy and self-regulation. Frontiers in Education, 5, 19. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00019

Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64(1), 135-168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750

Diamond, A., Barnett, W. S., Thomas, J., & Munro, S. (2007). Preschool program improves cognitive control. Science, 318(5855), 1387-1388. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1151148

Diamond, A., & Ling, D. S. (2016). Conclusions about interventions, programs, and approaches for improving executive functions that appear justified and those that, despite much hype, do not. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 18, 34-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2015.11.005

Evans, G. W., Farah, M. J., & Hackman, D. A. (2021). Early childhood poverty and adult executive functioning: Distinct, mediating pathways for different domains of executive functioning. Developmental Science, 24(5), e13084. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13084

Flint, A. S., & Jaggers, W. (2021). You matter here: The impact of asset-based pedagogies on learning. Theory Into Practice, 60(3), 254-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2021.1911483

Gallego, D. J., Alonso, C., & Barros, D. M. V. (2022). Estilos de Aprendizaje y Estilos de Enseñanza. Propuestas pedagógicas para la transformación de la educación. Revista de Estilos de Aprendizaje, 15(Especial), Article Especial. https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v15iEspecial.5309

Gil, A. de J. M. (2022). Estrategias y aprendizaje autónomo. Revista de Estilos de Aprendizaje, 15(Especial), Article Especial. https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v15iEspecial.4594

Gioia, G. A., Espy, K. A., & Isquith, P. K. (2016). BRIEF-P. Evaluación Conductual de la Función Ejecutiva—Versión Infantil. TEA Ediciones.

Gunzenhauser, C., & Nückles, M. (2021). Training executive functions to improve academic achievement: Tackling avenues to far transfer. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 624008. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.624008

Howard, S. J., Powell, T., Vasseleu, E., Johnstone, S., & Melhuish, E. (2017). Enhancing preschoolers’ executive functions through embedding cognitive activities in shared book reading. Educational Psychology Review, 29(1), 153-174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-016-9364-4

Khurana, A. (2022). Converting physical spaces into learning spaces: Integrating universal design and universal design for learning. Frontiers in Education, 7, 965818. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.965818

Lezak, M. D. (1982). The problem of assessing executive functions. International Journal of Psychology, 17(1-4), 281-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207598208247445

Marina, J. A., & Pellicer, C. (2015). La inteligencia que aprende. La inteligencia ejecutiva explicada a los docentes. Santillana.

McClelland, M. M., & Cameron, C. E. (2019). Developing together: The role of executive function and motor skills in children’s early academic lives. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 46, 142-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.03.014

McClelland, M. M., Tominey, S. L., Schmitt, S. A., & Duncan, R. (2017). SEL Interventions in early childhood. The Future of Children, 27(1), 33-47. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2017.0002

Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “Frontal Lobe” tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41(1), 49-100. https://doi.org/10.1006/cogp.1999.0734

Morris, P., Millenky, M., Raver, C. C., & Jones, S. M. (2013). Does a preschool Social and Emotional Learning intervention pay off for classroom instruction and children’s behavior and academic skills? Evidence from the foundations of learning project. Early Education and Development, 24(7), 1020-1042. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2013.825187

Muir, R. A., Howard, S. J., & Kervin, L. (2023). Interventions and Approaches Targeting Early Self-Regulation or Executive Functioning in Preschools: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review, 35(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09740-6

ParradoTorres, H. G. P. (2024). Las funciones ejecutivas en el marco de la neuroeducación: Una revisión de los factores que han demostrado mayor impacto en las propuestas de intervención en los contextos escolares. Journal of Neuroeducation, 5(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1344/joned.v5i1.45531

Pérez-Marfil, M. N., Fernández-Alcántara, M., López-Benítez, R., Pérez-García, M., Pérez-García, M. P., & Cruz-Quintana, F. (2024). Effects of an executive function programme (PEFEN) on preschool children: A pilot study / Efectos de un programa para la estimulación de las funciones ejecutivas (PEFEN) en alumnos de preescolar: un estudio piloto. Journal for the Study of Education and Development, 47(1), 113-137. https://doi.org/10.1177/02103702231224641

Poehlmann-Tynan, J., Vigna, A. B., Weymouth, L. A., Gerstein, E. D., Burnson, C., Zabransky, M., Lee, P., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (2016). A pilot study of contemplative practices with economically disadvantaged preschoolers: Children’s empathic and self-regulatory behaviors. Mindfulness, 7(1), 46-58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0426-3

Raver, C. C., Jones, S. M., Li-Grining, C., Zhai, F., Bub, K., & Pressler, E. (2011). CSRP’s impact on low-income preschoolers’ preacademic skills: Self-regulation as a mediating mechanism. Child Development, 82(1), 362-378. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01561.x

Rosselli, M., Jurado, M. B., & Matute, E. (2008). Las funciones ejecutivas a través de la vida. Revista de Neuropsicología, Neuropsiquiatría y Neurociencias, 8(1), 23-46.

Semenov, Andrei. D., & Zelazo, P. D. (2019). Mindful family routines and the cultivation of executive function skills in childhood. Human Development, 63(63), 112-131. https://doi.org/10.1159/000503822

Takacs, Z. K., & Kassai, R. (2019). The efficacy of different interventions to foster children’s executive function skills: A series of meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 145(7), 653-697. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000195

Wade, M., Parker, V., Tang, A., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2024). Linking caregiving quality during infancy to brain activity in early childhood and later executive function. Developmental Science, 27(6), e13517. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13517

Zabalza, M. A. (2016). Calidad en la educación infantil. Narcea Ediciones. https://bit.ly/41JHyRf

Zelazo, P. D. (2020). Executive function and psychopathology: A neurodevelopmental perspective. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 16(1), 431-454. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072319-024242

PORTADA_VOLUMEN 18, NÚMERO 36

Downloads

Published

2025-10-22

How to Cite

Martínez Ocaña, M. J., & Navarro Martínez, O. (2025). Optimization of executive functions from habit education in kindergarten through the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Journal of Learning Styles, 18(36), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v18i35.7852

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 36 (2025): Universal Design for Learning as a measure of attention to diversity

Section

THEMATIC RESEARCH ARTICLES. Volume 18, Number 36 (October, 2025)_Universal Design for Learning as a measure of attention to diversity.

License

By submitting the original, the author(s) declare that they are aware of and accept, in full, the privacy policy as well as the copyright of the Learning Styles Magazine.

The Learning Styles Magazine offers free and open access to its content, completely free of charge, in order to bring scientific research to its readers and society in general. All digital contents are free and open access and are published under a Creative Commons license:

Rights are granted under the Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 4.0 Internacional (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0) 

The Learning Styles Magazine is an open access journal. Publication of articles or reviews in the Journal does not entitle you to any remuneration. For authors as well as readers, the journal is free Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 4.0 Internacional (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0).

With this licence, the reproduction and dissemination of the contents of the magazine for educational, social and knowledge transmission purposes is permitted, without any profit motive in mind, provided that the source and authorship are not modified. The licence granted to Learning Styles Magazine allows the copying and distribution of the magazine's contents, as long as the authorship of the work is recognised, correctly specifying the author and the publishing entity. The work may not be used for commercial purposes, nor may it be altered, transformed or generated from this work.

The publication of articles or reviews in the Journal does not give the right to any remuneration.

The Learning Styles Journal invites the author/authors to increase the visibility and scope of their articles published by re-disseminating them in:

- Web spaces and personal networks, as well as in scientific meetings and forums

- Open institutional archives in Universities, educational repositories and Research Centres. 

- Academic and scientific networks (Researchgate, Academia.edu, Plubons, etc.)

All these spaces and publications must include all the bibliographic data of the publication. 

 

Most read articles by the same author(s)