REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
The global condition of higher education students' executive function research: a scoping review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Optentia, North West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
- 2North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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The fundamental cognitive processes known as executive functions (EF) allow people to control their thoughts, feelings, and actions to engage in goal-directed behaviour. Strong EF abilities are linked to better academic achievement and student success in higher education (HE). This scoping review sought to map the volume and nature of scholarly articles published between 2014 and 2024 that address undergraduate students' EF skills in HE worldwide. The databases of Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOHost were thoroughly searched. The review adhered to the scoping review process developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The inclusion criteria were met by 28 articles after 8,237 records were screened. The literature indicates a sharp rise in scholarly attention in the last three years, increasingly favouring multidisciplinary work. The association between EF and academic achievement is the focus of many studies, which use quantitative approaches. Most research is carried out in nations in the northern hemisphere and frequently incorporates viewpoints from other disciplines. The conceptual and methodological complexity in this topic is highlighted by the variety of EF components studied and the breadth of assessment techniques employed. To develop successful educational interventions and support measures, our findings emphasise the need for more inclusive, international, and diverse approaches to the research of EF in HE.
Keywords: Academic Achievement, Executive Function, Higher Education Students, International context, Scoping review
Received: 27 May 2025; Accepted: 20 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Pretorius and Heyns. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Marita Heyns
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