Executive functioning and early numeracy skills assessed in kindergarten directly predict mathematical performance in second grade, jointly explaining 57.3% of its variance¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In a longitudinal SEM, latent Executive Functioning and latent Early Numeracy Skills both exert significant direct effects on latent Mathematical Performance two years later, with the model explaining R2 = 0.573 of its variance. → Mercader J 2018

Evidence¶

Mercader J 2018¶

Mercader J, Miranda A, Presentación MJ, Siegenthaler R and Rosel JF (2018) Contributions of Motivation, Early Numeracy Skills, and Executive Functioning to Mathematical Performance. A Longitudinal Study. Front. Psychol. 8:2375. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02375

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Structural equation modeling of 180 children assessed at T1 (kindergarten) and T2 (second year of Primary Education); the final model fit the data (CFI = 0.960; RMSEA = 0.058) and "The explained variance of the model dependent variable (F4, Mathematic Performance) was R2 = 0.573."

"The latent variable Mathematic Performance (F4) receives significant effects only from the latent variables Executive Functioning (F2) and Early Numeracy Skills (F3), but not from Motivation (F1)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Motivation's effect on later mathematical performance is indirect, mediated by executive functioning and early numeracy skills
• Initial motivation in kindergarten has no significant direct effect on mathematical performance two years later
• Executive function and spatial skills jointly predict 70% of the variance in age-4 mathematics performance without an explicit number-knowledge measure — related
• Preschool working memory–flexibility predicts later math achievement, especially in Grade 3 — related
• Children's executive function at the beginning of pre-kindergarten predicts growth in mathematics achievement across the pre-kindergarten year — related
• Bidirectional EF–mathematics relationships are reported but the longitudinal evidence is mixed and method-dependent — related
• Preschool executive functions robustly predict mathematical skills during preschool and later in development — a broader claim this one bears on
• Children who develop EF later start preschool with the lowest math levels and do not catch up to early or intermediate EF developers through second grade — related