RESEARCH FINDINGS: We examined the nature of association between toddler negative affectivity (NA) and later academic achievement by testing early childhood executive function (EF) as a mediator that links children's temperament and their performance on standardized math and reading assessments. One hundred eighty-four children (93 boys, 91 girls) participated in our longitudinal study. Children's NA was measured at age 2 and EF at age 4. At age 6, academic achievement in reading and mathematics were assessed using the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001). Results indicated that NA at age 2 negatively predicted EF at age 4, which positively predicted mathematics achievement and reading achievement at age 6. Age 4 EF mediated the relation between age 2 NA and age 6 academic achievement on both reading and math. These findings highlight the significance of considering both NA and EF in conversations about children's academic achievement. PRACTICE OR POLICY: For children with temperamentally high NA, focusing on efforts to enhance emotion regulation and EF during the preschool years may benefit their later mathematics and reading achievement.
RESEARCH FINDINGS: We examined the nature of association between toddler negative affectivity (NA) and later academic achievement by testing early childhood executive function (EF) as a mediator that links children's temperament and their performance on standardized math and reading assessments. One hundred eighty-four children (93 boys, 91 girls) participated in our longitudinal study. Children's NA was measured at age 2 and EF at age 4. At age 6, academic achievement in reading and mathematics were assessed using the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001). Results indicated that NA at age 2 negatively predicted EF at age 4, which positively predicted mathematics achievement and reading achievement at age 6. Age 4 EF mediated the relation between age 2 NA and age 6 academic achievement on both reading and math. These findings highlight the significance of considering both NA and EF in conversations about children's academic achievement. PRACTICE OR POLICY: For children with temperamentally high NA, focusing on efforts to enhance emotion regulation and EF during the preschool years may benefit their later mathematics and reading achievement.
Entities:
Keywords:
Academic Achievement; Early Childhood; Executive Function; Negative Affectivity; Temperament
Authors: Sachiko Ozawa; Sarah K Laing; Colleen R Higgins; Tatenda T Yemeke; Christine C Park; Rebecca Carlson; Young Eun Ko; L Beryl Guterman; Saad B Omer Journal: World Dev Date: 2022-01