Cognitive Flexibility: An Educational Approach

Abstract

Cognitive flexibility is briefly defined as the ability of individuals to adapt to a changing environment flexibly. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of research to explain the associations between cognitive flexibility and specific 21st-century skills, to understand the definition of the phenomenon from different perspectives, and to examine cognitive flexibility from a broad perspective. The chapter also comprehensively addresses the relationship of cognitive flexibility, which is associated with the prefrontal cortex, with various life outcomes, particularly reveals its relationship with learning. Furthermore, it discusses how cognitive flexibility can be fostered in learning environments through instructional design and technology, as well as the tools (i.e., inventory, scale, test) that can be used to measure and assess this ability. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.