Growth in task orientation partially mediates the association between executive function and mathematics achievement in preschoolers¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr?·q3
Currency · newest study 2022 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (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? Growth in children's task orientation across the pre-kindergarten year partially mediates the association between executive function and mathematics achievement. → Tara Hofkens 2022
Evidence¶
Tara Hofkens 2022¶
Tara Hofkens, Jessica Whittaker, Robert Pianta, Virginia Vitiello, Erik Ruzek, Arya Ansari. (2022). Pathways of mathematics achievement in preschool: Examining executive function and task orientation. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101432
q3 · i? · associational · r?
Longitudinal mediation analysis in the study of 467 preschoolers found that growth in task orientation partially mediates the association between EF and mathematics achievement; the article reports partial, not full, mediation.
"We found that growth in children’s task orientation partially mediates the association between EF and mathematics achievement for the preschoolers in our study."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Self-Regulation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
- Executive Function — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- Executive function performance significantly predicts semantic fluency in preschool children — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
- Children's executive function at the beginning of pre-kindergarten predicts growth in mathematics achievement across the pre-kindergarten year — related
- No statistically significant sex differences in the direct associations among EF, task orientation, and mathematics or in the mediating effect of task orientation — related
- Girls show significantly higher task orientation than boys in preschool — related
- Mindsets relate to kindergarteners' achievement indirectly through executive functions and classroom behavioral self-regulation as mediators — related
- Gesture mediated collaborative learning in an AR-headset astronomy task, including exploration, orientation, sharing and synthesizing AR perspectives, and sharing symbolic conception — related
- Motivation's effect on later mathematical performance is indirect, mediated by executive functioning and early numeracy skills
- Preschool executive functions robustly predict mathematical skills during preschool and later in development — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
task-orientation-partially-mediates-ef-math |
title |
Growth in task orientation partially mediates the association between executive function and mathematics achievement in preschoolers |
description |
Growth in task orientation partially mediates the association between executive function and mathematics achievement in preschoolers |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2022 |
source_checked |
2026-10-17 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-08 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — tara-hofkens-2022 |
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