A systematic review and meta-analysis of the associations between teacher–child interaction and children’s executive function

Theories posit that the quality of teacher–child interactions has a profound influence on children’s development of executive function skills. However, prior research has yielded mixed findings regarding the associations between teacher–child interaction quality as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and children’s executive function. In an attempt to examine the inconsistent findings, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the associations between the three CLASS domains (i.e. Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support) and children’s gains in executive function. The systematic review presented an overview of the methodological approaches applied in the included studies. The meta-analysis examined the magnitude of the overall effects of CLASS domains on children’s executive function. Four databases (i.e., PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science, and ERIC) and Google Scholar were used to search and locate relevant studies, leading to the identification and inclusion of Sixteen articles (published from 2009 to 2021) that met the inclusion criteria. Results of a random-effects model indicated that the overall effect sizes for all three CLASS domains were significant but small in magnitude (from 0.06 to 0.09). Our research findings did not provide strong support for the link between CLASS domains and children’s executive function. We argue that it is necessary to revise and expand the current quality measures that focus on general teacher–child interactions.