Math achievement correlates more strongly with EF components than EF components correlate with each other in early childhood¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2019 · checked against its sources 2026-10-22 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Within each ECLS-K wave, EF–math correlations (rs=0.30–0.57) exceeded EF–EF intercorrelations (rs=0.16–0.29); all correlations were significant at p < .001. → Nguyen 2019
Evidence¶
Nguyen 2019¶
Nguyen, T., Duncan, R.J., & Bailey, D.H. (2019). Theoretical and methodological implications of associations between executive function and mathematics in early childhood. Contemporary Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.04.002
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Correlation matrices from the ECLS-K: 2010 at waves 1, 2, and 4 (Table 3); all correlations significant at p < .001. The article reports math–EF rs of "0.31–0.55" at Time 1 versus EF–EF rs of 0.18–0.27.
"Within each specific wave, math was more closely associated with the specific components of EF (Time 1: rs=0.31–0.55; Time 2: rs=0.34–0.57; Time 4: rs=0.30–0.55) than the components of EF were with each other"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Children's executive function at the beginning of pre-kindergarten predicts growth in mathematics achievement across the pre-kindergarten year — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
- In the ECLS-K: 2010 dataset, a single latent EF factor model fits EF–math associations better than a specific-components model at all three time points — related
- Under the components model in ECLS-K, working memory is the most closely associated EF component with math, but only at time point 1 does it show a positive residual correlation beyond latent EF — related
- In a meta-analytic database of ten studies, the latent EF factor model was preferred in seven samples, with two favoring the components model and one equal — related
- Executive functions and working memory correlate moderately to strongly with mathematics achievement (r = .28 to .40), from preschool through elementary school — related
- Executive functions show consistent positive meta-analytic associations with academic outcomes — a broader claim this one bears on
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
math-correlates-more-with-ef-than-ef-internally |
title |
Math achievement correlates more strongly with EF components than EF components correlate with each other in early childhood |
description |
Math achievement correlates more strongly with EF components than EF components correlate with each other in early childhood |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2019 |
source_checked |
2026-10-22 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-09-26 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — nguyen-2019 |
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