Work

Teaching Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills to Young Children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Settings: An Integration of Evidence

Year: 2026

Type: article

Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Problem-solving has been identified as a critical 21st-century skill. This review integrated evidence on the effectiveness of existing approaches to teaching and assessing problem-solving in an interpersonal context (IPS) for children from birth to age six, in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. A comprehensive search (i.e., PsycINFO, ERIC, Education Source, Child Development and Adolescent Studies) yielded 13,030 abstracts, 38 eligible papers representing 7,627 children, and 26 papers for the meta-analysis. Multilevel meta-analyses for the pooled effect revealed strong relationships between IPS interventions and children’s IPS outcomes, Hedges’ g = 0.76 (SE = .10, p < .001, 95% CI [0.57, 0.95], τ = .26). The evidence suggests that skills training specific to IPS (e.g., brainstorming) and using assessment formats that allow children to generate novel solutions may best capture the learning process. More research is needed to expand investigations to infant and toddler samples.

Source: Review of Educational Research

DOI: 10.3102/00346543251399668

Authors: Evelyn McMullen, Michal Perlman, Samantha Burns, Olesya Falenchuk, Linda White, Elizabeth Dhuey

Institutions: University of Toronto, University of Toronto Scarborough

Language: English

Topic: Early Childhood Education and Development

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,500