| This dissertation reports the results of a research project that examined executive functioning and mathematics performance during middle childhood utilizing a longitudinal design. Executive Functioning (EF) is an umbrella term that incorporates a group of interrelated cognitive processes responsible for purposeful, goal-directed behavior (Best & Miller, 2010). Three components of EF were examined in the current study: sustained attention, inhibition, and working memory. In addition, the current study included measures of intelligence and math performance. The primary purpose of the study was to add to the overall understanding of the development of EF and its association with academic achievement, specifically mathematics. Several important findings were revealed. First, inhibition and sustained attention demonstrated longitudinal stability from preschool to middle childhood, while working memory did not. Second, longitudinal analyses indicated that inhibition, sustained attention, and working memory performance in preschool predict later math performance, such that better EF skills during preschool predicted better math performance in middle childhood. Third, EF components during middle childhood are both interrelated and diverse. Fourth, inhibition and sustained attention demonstrated significant developmental growth during middle childhood, while working memory did not show statistically significant growth. Fifth, inhibition and sustained attention appear to be particularly important for math performance during middle childhood. Sixth, parent-rated measures of EF during preschool and middle childhood provided good utility for predicting child executive functioning and math performance. Overall, these findings add to our understanding of the development of EF, provide evidence for EF's relation with academic performance, and support the notion of EF components as unified but diverse. These results have important implications for practice and future research. |
