Protocol for a Systematic Review: The Tools of The Mind Curriculum for Improving Self-Regulation in Early Childhood--A Systematic Review

Self-regulation, defined as volitional control of attention, behavior, and executive functions for the purposes of goal-directed action (Blair & Ursache, 2011), is associated with multiple school-related outcomes (Calkins, Howse, & Philippot, 2004; Diamond & Lee, 2011; McClelland & Tominey, 2011). For example, children with robust self-regulation have been shown (Fisher, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe, & Golinkoff, 2013; Ramani, 2012) to more cooperatively participate in classroom activities, sustain focus on tasks (Bierman, Nix, & Greenberg, 2008; Drake, Belsky, & Fearon, 2014), and exhibit reduced behavioral issues (Feng et al., 2008; Ponitz, McClelland, Matthews, & Morrison, 2009). Conversely, lower levels of self-regulation skills are associated with externalizing behaviors (Flouri, Midouhas, & Joshi, 2014; Olson & Lunkenheimer, 2009), diminished attention (Raver et al., 2011; Tough, 2012), and lower academic achievement (Kim, Nordling, Yoon, & Kochanska, 2014; Nota, Soresi, & Zimmerman, 2004; Soares, Vannest, & Harrison, 2009). In addition to academic outcomes, children with poor self-regulatory competencies are more likely to have worse health and financial outcomes in adulthood (Moffitt, Arseneault, & Caspi, 2011; Schlam, Wilson, Shoda, & Mischel, 2013). Given the role of self-regulation in promoting both child and adult outcomes, early intervention in preschool contexts holds considerable promise for improving a child's development trajectory. As Heckman noted, early "skill begets skill; learning begets learning" (Heckman & Masterov, 2007, p. 3). Consequently, small self-regulatory differences in early childhood can be magnified to progressively larger differences over time (Alexander, Entwisle, & Kabbani, 2001; O'Shaughnessy, Lane, Gresham, & Beebe-Frankenberger, 2003). Thus, early childhood emerges as an especially critical period in which to intervene. one An early childhood curriculum emphasizes self-regulation cultivation as its paramount aim: "Tools of the Mind" (Tools). Since its development in 1993, Tools has been adopted in parts of the United States, Canada, and South America. Twenty U.S. states now have at least one Tools school; in certain areas such as Washington DC, Tools has been implemented in the majority of local preschools (Tools of the Mind, 2015). In the face of the program's proliferation, it is important to establish evidence of Tools' effectiveness on hypothesized outcomes. That is, does Tools enhance children's self-regulation and academic outcomes as compared with traditional 'business-as-usual' or other program curricula? This systematic review aims to be the first to address this question.