Peer-reviewed article
Trends and research patterns in executive function interventions for children and adolescents.
Kılıç KM, Kaytez N ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This bibliometric study analyzed 692 research articles on executive function interventions for children and adolescents published between 2000 and 2026. The field has grown rapidly at 12.42% annually, with research evolving from theoretical studies toward practical, multidisciplinary interventions. Core research themes include working memory, attention, and self-regulation, with newer areas emerging around emotion regulation, physical activity, and virtual reality. The United States, United Kingdom, and China are major research hubs, though research collaboration remains geographically uneven.
Key points
- Scientific output on executive function interventions has grown at 12.42% annually, with acceleration after 2015
- Research evolved from early theoretical and measurement studies to increasingly applied and intervention-oriented work
- Core constructs (working memory, attention, self-regulation) remain central, while emotion regulation, physical activity, virtual reality, and network meta-analysis are emerging themes
- The United States, United Kingdom, and China are central research hubs with strong collaboration, while other regions remain more peripheral
- The field shows a shift toward mechanism-oriented and technologically supported intervention approaches
Limitations
This is a bibliometric analysis of research trends and does not evaluate the effectiveness of any specific intervention for children. It cannot tell us whether executive function interventions actually improve child outcomes or which approaches work best in practice.
Abstract
This bibliometric study analyzes the intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and collaboration patterns of research on executive function interventions in children and adolescents between 2000 and 2026. A total of 692 documents retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection were analyzed using performance analysis and science mapping techniques with Bibliometrix. The findings indicate a steady and accelerated growth in scientific output, with an annual growth rate of 12.42%, particularly after 2015. The literature shows a clear developmental trajectory from early theoretical and measurement-focused studies to increasingly applied, intervention-oriented, and multidisciplinary research. Results reveal that the field is concentrated around a core set of journals, authors, and highly cited foundational studies, with strong influence from working memory and ADHD-related research. Thematic analysis shows that core constructs such as working memory, attention, self-regulation, and executive functions remain central, while newer themes including emotion regulation, physical activity, virtual reality, and network meta-analysis are emerging. These developments reflect a shift toward more mechanism-oriented and technologically supported intervention approaches. Co-authorship analysis indicates a globally collaborative but geographically uneven structure, with the United States, United Kingdom, and China serving as central hubs, while Europe forms regional clusters and other regions remain more peripheral. In conclusion, EF intervention research in children and adolescents is a rapidly growing and increasingly sophisticated field, moving toward more integrative, mechanism-based, and globally connected scientific frameworks.