ERIC Number: ED622180
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0193-3973
EISSN: N/A
Directly Assessed and Adult-Reported Executive Functions: Associations with Academic Skills in Ghana
Ishita Ahmed; Lily Steyer; Noelle M Suntheimer; Sharon Wolf; Jelena Obradovic
Grantee Submission, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology v81 Article 101437 2022
Extant work on the importance of children's executive function (EF) for academic skills typically employs either direct assessments of EF skills or adult reports of children's EF behaviors. Each approach has advantages, yet few studies have examined how different EF measurement approaches distinctly relate to child outcomes. We examined how direct assessment of EF skills and teacher- and assessor-reports of EF behaviors uniquely predicted literacy and numeracy skills in the Greater Accra region of Ghana (N = 371, average age = 9.3 years). All three EF measures demonstrated significant associations with children's concurrent numeracy and literacy performance. Controlling for previous academic skills, direct assessment of EF skills predicted numeracy, teacher-report of EF behaviors predicted literacy, and assessor-report predicted both. Adapted EF measures uniquely contribute to students' academic skills in a context where educational experiences tend to be teacher-directed and emphasize obedience, suggesting that promoting EF can support learning in Ghana.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Executive Function, Academic Ability, Performance Based Assessment, Measurement Techniques, Predictor Variables, Literacy, Numeracy, Correlation, Student Behavior, Student Evaluation, Grade 3, Grade 4, Elementary School Students, Memory, Self Control, Reading Skills, Mathematics Skills
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 3; Primary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B140009; R305B200035