Executive control goes to school: Implications of preschool executive performance for observed elementary classroom learning engagement.

Nelson, Timothy D.; Nelson, Jennifer; James, Tiffany D.; Clark, Caron A. C.; Kidwell, Katherine M.; Espy, Kimberly Andrews

doi:10.1037/dev0000296

Cited by 59 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Learning behaviors such as cooperation, verbal interaction, and interpersonal responsiveness reflect key social competencies for young children (McClelland & Morrison, ). Strategic planning and the ability to focus and sustain attention derive from the broader concepts of executive function and self‐regulation (Bronson, ; Nelson et al., ). Risk acceptance (or alternatively, inhibition) and exploratory behavior have been linked to children's emotional development and personality in the literature on temperament and attachment (Grossmann, Grossmann, Kindler, & Zimmermann, ; Zentner & Bates, ).…”

Section: Learning Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trajectories of early education learning behaviors among children at risk: A growth mixture modeling approach

McDermott

Rovine

Reyes

et al. 2018

Psychology in the Schools

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This study examined the latent developmental patterns for classroom learning behaviors among children from underresourced families. Based on standardized teacher observations, a large sample (N = 2,152) of children was assessed for manifestations of Competence Motivation and Attentional Persistence twice annually through Head Start, kindergarten, and 1st grade. For each form of learning behavior, latent growth mixture modeling revealed dominant subpopulations of change that feature quite good learning behaviors during Head Start but marked deterioration in performance upon kindergarten entry. Other change subpopulations showed children arriving in Head Start with noticeably poor learning behaviors and, while experiencing some early improvement, continued to function with relatively limited learning behaviors throughout the transition years, whereas other children entered prekindergarten with somewhat average performance levels and evinced modest losses when exiting Head Start. Membership in less desirable growth subpopulations is linked to preexisting explanatory factors and to subsequent negative outcomes. The general deterioration in learning behaviors that accompanies formal school entry is examined in the context of Head Start performance fade‐out and teachers’ shifting reference standards.

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Section: Learning Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trajectories of early education learning behaviors among children at risk: A growth mixture modeling approach

McDermott

Rovine

Reyes

et al. 2018

Psychology in the Schools

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“…The early years, in particular, have been shown to be a period of important and rapid development for executive functions (Diamond, ). There is evidence to show that early executive functioning, across income groups, is associated with a broad range of later‐life outcomes, such as school readiness and academic achievement in childhood (Bull, Epsy, & Wiebe, ; Nelson et al, ; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, ), negative lifestyle behaviours in adolescence, and health, wealth and quality of life in adulthood (Moffitt et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of physical activity and gross motor skills with executive function in preschool children from low‐income South African settings

Cook

Howard

Scerif

et al. 2019

Developmental Science

124

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Executive function is foundational for cognitive development. Previous research has shown both gross motor skills and physical activity to be related to executive function. However, evidence for these relationships in the preschool years, as well as in low‐ and middle‐income countries is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between components of executive function (inhibition, shifting and working memory) and gross motor skills (locomotor skills and object control skills) in a sample of preschool children from urban and rural low‐income settings in South Africa. Results revealed that inhibition and working memory, but not shifting, were associated with gross motor skills. More specifically: inhibition was associated with both locomotor [β = 0.20, p = 0.047] and object control skills [β = 0.24, p = 0.024], whereas working memory was only associated with locomotor skills [β = 0.21, p = 0.039]. Physical activity was not associated with inhibition and shifting but was negatively associated with working memory. These results elaborate a growing evidence base linking executive function and gross motor skills in the early years, and it is the first to look at specific associations of locomotor and object control skills with executive function in the South African context (a low‐ and middle‐income country).

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“…Whether learning‐related behaviors are conceptually distinct from self‐regulation is the topic of considerable debate (McClelland & Cameron, 2012; McDermott et al, 2014; Nelson et al, 2017). Self‐regulation is conceptualized as a broader system of functions that organize top‐down control of goal‐directed behavior (Blair & Raver, 2015; Nelson et al, 2017). There is no doubt that children’s adjustment to classroom demands implicate skills to manage attention, emotions, and to inhibit behavior and that these skills facilitate engagement in learning activities.…”

Section: Learning‐related Behavior and Academic Achievementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preschool Quality Effects on Learning Behavior and Later Achievement in Germany: Moderation by Socioeconomic Status

Schmerse

2020

Child Development

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This study investigates whether children's preschool experiences are associated with later achievement via enhanced learning behaviors using data from a German longitudinal study following children (N = 554) from age 3 in preschool to age 8 in second grade. There were two main findings. First, results suggest that more positive learning behaviors at school entry mediate effects of teacher-child interactions in preschool on second-grade achievement. Second, these effects varied by parental socioeconomic status (SES) indicating that low-SES children benefited the most. The findings highlight the role of preschool classroom environments in shaping the school readiness of children with socioeconomic risk factors. Children's experiences in early childhood education (ECE) are foundational to later school success. There is ample evidence that the features of early teacherchild interactions contribute to the development of children's school readiness skills, in particular their early academic skills (Mashburn et al., 2008; NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 2016; Sylva et al., 2006) and, to some degree, to their selfregulatory and executive functioning skills (Fuhs,

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Executive control goes to school: Implications of preschool executive performance for observed elementary classroom learning engagement.

Cited by 59 publications

References 58 publications

Trajectories of early education learning behaviors among children at risk: A growth mixture modeling approach

Trajectories of early education learning behaviors among children at risk: A growth mixture modeling approach

Associations of physical activity and gross motor skills with executive function in preschool children from low‐income South African settings

Preschool Quality Effects on Learning Behavior and Later Achievement in Germany: Moderation by Socioeconomic Status

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