Joint Contributions of Executive Functioning and Visuospatial Processing to School Readiness

• In Event: Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Young Children's Self-Regulation and Executive Function

Abstract

Recent research has illuminated the importance of “nonacademic” skills, including executive function, in contributing to academic success. This study incorporated an additional nonacademic skill, visuospatial processing, in a school readiness context. Associations among visuospatial processing, EF, and academic achievement were examined in low-income kindergartners (N=89). Replicating past research, EF was a robust predictor of academic skills (notably, mathematics skills) upon school entry and also at the end of kindergarten even after considering initial scores. Visuospatial processing was significantly associated with academic skills only in models without EF, although follow-up analyses testing interactions between EF and visuospatial processing suggested a complex relationship between the two skills. Findings are discussed in terms of school readiness research and policy.

Authors

• Chelsea Duran, University of Virginia

• Anthony Byers

• Claire E Cameron, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• David W Grissmer, University of Virginia