Young children's transfer of strategies: Utilization deficiencies, executive function, and metacognition

•Provides a new perspective on transfer of memory strategies during development.•Distinguishes between transfer of strategies and transfer of strategy effectiveness.•Links utilization deficiencies, executive functions and metacognition during development.•Explains possible causes of lack of transfer of strategy effectiveness.

The purpose of this review is to present a new perspective on children's development of transfer of learning. The focus is on transfer of the effectiveness of a skill (i.e., improved performance), rather than just the transfer of the skill (e.g., a strategy) itself. Specifically, we examined the role of strategy utilization deficiencies, along with cognitive capacity, in the transfer of a memory strategy and, especially, strategy effectiveness (increased recall). Executive functions, metacognition, and mindset were considered as mechanisms that can both facilitate and hinder transfer of strategy effectiveness. Implications for theorizing about both transfer and utilization deficiencies were discussed.