Occupational therapists, self-regulation, and primary schools: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy practice
• Pediatric self-regulation interventions
• Primary school mental health

Background:

• The primary school setting presents unique challenges for occupational therapists.
• There is a recognized need for more school-specific literature on self-regulation.
• Occupational therapists are interested in understanding and intervening in classroom self-regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review examining how occupational therapists understand self-regulation in mainstream primary schools.
• To identify existing literature on self-regulation interventions, assessments, or programs within the school context.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed across five major health databases.
• Inclusion criteria focused on occupational therapists, self-regulation concepts, and primary school settings.
• Data extraction and synthesis followed PRISMA and JBI guidelines.

Main Results:

• 192 papers were initially identified, with 12 included in the final review (7 peer-reviewed, 5 dissertations).
• Included literature demonstrated an incomplete consideration of self-regulation, often focusing on related constructs.
• Operationalization of self-regulation in terms of students' occupational performance and engagement was limited.

Conclusions:

• Current literature inadequately addresses self-regulation from an occupational therapy perspective in primary schools.
• Further research is essential to refine the conceptualization, definition, and application of self-regulation in occupational therapy practice.
• There is a need to better link self-regulation to occupational performance and engagement outcomes for students.