The effects of school-based yoga on the executive functioning skills of children between three and seven years of age. A meta-analysis of existing research

Purpose

Executive functioning is said to be fundamental to human cognition and achievement. This meta-analysis aimed to establish what effect – if any – yoga delivered in school-settings has upon the executive functioning skills of children between three and seven years of age.

Procedure

Databases screened were PubMed Central, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, and PsycARTICLES. Studies involving a yoga-based intervention alongside a control group, and age-appropriate measures of executive functioning were included. In total, seven studies, involving 1080 participants, met the inclusion criteria.

Findings

Meta-analysis of all seven studies demonstrated a significant (p < 0.001) small positive weighted average effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.24 [95% CI 0.10, 0.39], evidencing that yoga may improve the executive functioning skills of children between three and seven years of age. Sub-group meta-analyses to examine the different domains of executive functioning (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) revealed a significant (p = 0.007) small positive effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.41 [95% CI 0.11, 0.70] for working memory, and a significant (p = 0.033) marginal positive effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.18 [95% CI 0.01, 0.34] for inhibitory control. However, there were insufficient data for a sub-group meta-analysis of cognitive flexibility.

Conclusions

Results are discussed in the context of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ executive functioning skills. Study limitations are considered, and it is acknowledged that further high-quality research is needed into the effect(s) of school-based yoga on executive functioning within this population before definitive conclusions can be drawn.