scholarly journals An Introduction to the Special Issue: Contributions of Executive Function to Academic Skills

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul T. Cirino ◽  
Erik G. Willcutt
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Special Issue

Supporting Young Children’s Development of Executive Function Through Early Mathematics

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-199
Author(s):  
Christina Mulcahy ◽  
Crystal A. Day Hess ◽  
Douglas H. Clements ◽  
Jasmine R. Ernst ◽  
Sarah E. Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Mathematics Achievement ◽  
Mathematics Teaching ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Alternative Strategies ◽  
Early Mathematics ◽  
General Skills ◽  
And Behavior

Early childhood teachers face competing instructional priorities to support specific academic skills and general skills that underlie learning, such as executive function (EF) skills that allow children to control their own thinking and behavior. As the evidence shows, EF skills predict later mathematics achievement, and early mathematics predicts later EF. These relations between mathematics and EF suggest high-quality mathematics teaching has a dual benefit: Teachers can promote children’s math and EF competencies by embedding support for EF in high-quality mathematics activities. Children benefit when guided to reflect on solutions and alternative strategies, and teachers benefit from guidance on how to support both math and EF. Finally, research on teachers developing both domains can inform educational policy.

scholarly journals School-age outcomes following intraventricular haemorrhage in infants born extremely preterm

2020 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicky Laura Hollebrandse ◽  
Alicia J Spittle ◽  
Alice C Burnett ◽  
Peter J Anderson ◽  
Gehan Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Intraventricular Haemorrhage ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Intellectual Ability ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Cranial Ultrasound ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Extremely Preterm

ObjectiveTo determine the associations of different grades of intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), particularly grades 1 and 2, with neurodevelopmental outcomes at 8 years of age in children born extremely preterm.DesignPopulation-based cohort study.SettingState of Victoria, Australia.PatientsSurvivors born at <28 weeks’ gestational age (n=546) and matched term-born controls (n=679) from three distinct eras, namely, those born in 1991–1992, 1997 and 2005.ExposureWorst grade of IVH detected on serial neonatal cranial ultrasound.Outcome measuresIntellectual ability, executive function, academic skills, cerebral palsy and motor function at 8 years.ResultsThere was a trend for increased motor dysfunction with increasing severity of all grades of IVH, from 24% with no IVH, rising to 92% with grade 4 IVH. Children with grade 1 or 2 IVH were at higher risk of developing cerebral palsy than those without IVH (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.21 to 4.16). Increased rates of impairment in intellectual ability and academic skills were observed with higher grades of IVH, but not for grade 1 and 2 IVH. Parent-rated executive functioning was not related to IVH.ConclusionWhile low-grade IVH is generally considered benign, it was associated with higher rates of cerebral palsy in school-aged children born EP, but not with intellectual ability, executive function, academic skills or overall motor function. Higher grades of IVH were associated with higher rates and risks of impairment in motor function, intellectual ability and some academic skills, but not parental ratings of executive function.

scholarly journals Executive Function and Self-Regulation: Bi-Directional Longitudinal Associations and Prediction of Early Academic Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Howard ◽  
Elena Vasseleu ◽  
Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett ◽  
Marc de Rosnay ◽  
Amy Y. C. Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Composite Indices ◽  
Longitudinal Associations

Despite a tendency to study executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) separately, parallel lines of research suggest considerable overlap between the two abilities. Specifically, both show similar developmental trajectories (i.e., develop rapidly in the early years), predict a broad range of overlapping outcomes across the lifespan (e.g., academic success, mental and physical health, and social competence), and have overlapping neural substrates (e.g., prefrontal cortex). While theoretical frameworks diverge in how they reconcile EF and SR – ranging from treating the two as functionally synonymous, to viewing them as related yet distinct abilities – there is no consensus and limited empirical evidence on the nature of their relationship and how this extends developmentally. The current study examined bi-directional longitudinal associations between early EF and SR, and their longitudinal associations with subsequent early academic skills, in a sample of 199 3- to 5-year-old pre-school children. The adopted measures permitted EF and SR to be modelled as composite indices for these analyses, thereby decreasing task-specific components of these associations. Early academic skills were captured by a standardized direct assessment. Bi-directional associations between EF and SR were found, with both accounting for unique variance in early academic skills 7 and 19months later. The current results provide important evidence to distinguish between EF and SR abilities, yet also for their reciprocal influence in situ and across early development.

Improving Generalization of Academic Skills: Commentary on the Special Issue

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Skinner ◽  
Edward J. Daly
Keyword(s):  
Academic Skills ◽  
Special Issue

Goodrich et al. Embedded Executive Function Strategy Instruction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Marc Goodrich ◽  
Peng Peng ◽  
Janet Bohaty ◽  
Lauren Thayer ◽  
Sergio Leiva
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Strategy Instruction ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Function Strategy ◽  
Early Literacy Instruction

Prior research indicates that training aspects of executive function (EF; e.g., working memory) does not generalize beyond tasks that are closely aligned with the training (e.g., Melby-Lervåg &amp; Hulme, 2013). However, such evaluations of training EF to improve performance in related areas of cognitive development (e.g., academic skills) have not utilized EF training paradigms in the context of evidence-based academic skills instruction. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the potential for embedding EF training within evidence-based early literacy instruction for young, at-risk dual language learners (DLLs). Sixty-nine preschool DLLs were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: a business-as-usual control group (BAU), a group that received early literacy instruction only (EL group), and a group that received early literacy instruction with embedded EF training (EL+EF group). The EL+EF group significantly outperformed the BAU control group for two outcomes (vocabulary and syntax skills), and significantly outperformed the EL group on one outcome (syntax). Interaction effects suggested that early literacy instruction, regardless of embedded EF supports, was most effective for children with low pretest EF. In contrast, the added benefits of embedded EF training beyond the effects of early literacy instruction alone were largest for children with high pretest EF. Implications for academic-cognitive hybrid interventions are discussed.

scholarly journals Reciprocal associations between executive function and academic achievement: A conceptual replication of Schmitt et al. (2017)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexa Ellis ◽  
Sammy F. Ahmed ◽  
Selin Zeytinoglu ◽  
Elif Isbell ◽  
Susan D. Calkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Math Achievement ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Literacy Achievement ◽  
Developmental Age ◽  
Bidirectional Associations ◽  
Reciprocal Associations

The goal of the current study was to conduct a conceptual replication of the reciprocal associations between executive function (EF) and academic achievement reported in Schmitt et al. (2017). Using two independent samples (N (STAR) = 279, and N (Pathways) = 277), we examined whether the patterns of associations between EF and achievement across preschool and kindergarten reported in Schmitt et al. (2017) replicated using the same model specifications, similar EF and achievement measures, and across a similar developmental age period. Consistent with original findings, EF predicted subsequent math achievement in both samples. Specifically, in the STAR sample, EF predicted math achievement from preschool to kindergarten, and kindergarten to first grade. In the Pathways sample, EF at kindergarten predicted both math and literacy achievement in first grade. However, contrary to the original findings, we were unable to replicate the bidirectional associations between math achievement and EF in either of the replication samples. Overall, the current conceptual replication has revealed that bidirectional associations between EF and academic skills might not be robust to slight differences in EF measures and number of measurement occasions, which has implications for our understanding of the development EF and academic skills across early childhood. The present findings underscore the need for more standardization in both measurement and modeling approaches – without which the inconsistency of findings in published studies may continue across this area of research.

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