This study examined the predictive role of child cognitive, social,
emotional, and behavioral dimensions assessed at the age of 4 ½, as well
as of academic school readiness before the entry to primary school, on
mathematics achievement at the end of Year 1. A sample of 58 children
and their parents participated in this longitudinal study. Initial
correlations indicated significant associations between child
intelligence quotient (IQ), inhibitory control, set-shifting,
dysregulation profile, academic school readiness, and their subsequent
performance in mathematics. A hierarchical regression analysis showed
that inhibitory control at 4 ½ years significantly predicted mathematics
achievement at the end of Year 1 over and above the effect of academic
school readiness before entering primary school. These results add to
the existing literature by highlighting the impact of child executive
functioning assessed during the preschool years on subsequent
mathematics performance in early school years.