The role of executive function in children's competent adjustment to middle school.
Executive function (EF) skills play an important role in children's cognitive and social functioning. These skills develop throughout childhood, concurrently with a number of developmental transitions and challenges. One of these challenges is the transition from elementary into middle-level schools, which has the potential to significantly disrupt children's academic and social trajectories. However, little is known about the role of EF in children's adjustment during this transition. This study investigated the relation between children's EF skills, assessed both before and during elementary school, and sixth grade academic and social competence. In addition, the influences of the type of school setting attended in sixth grade on children's academic and behavioral outcomes were examined. EF assessed prior to and during elementary school significantly predicted sixth grade competence, as rated by teachers and parents, in both academic and social domains, after controlling for background characteristics. The interactions between type of school setting and EF skills were significant: Parents tended to report more behavioral problems and less regulatory control in children with weaker EF skills who were attending middle school. In contrast, teachers reported greater academic and behavioral difficulty in students with poorer EF attending elementary school settings. In conclusion, children's performance-based EF skills significantly affect adjustment to the academic and behavioral demands of sixth grade, with parent report suggesting greater difficulty for children with poorer EF in settings where children are provided with less external supports (e.g., middle school).
Department of Neuropsychology , Kennedy Krieger Institute , Baltimore , MD , USA. Jacobson@kennedykrieger.org
Lisa A
LA
Jacobson
Amanda P
AP
Williford
Robert C
RC
Pianta
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012574:Schools; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students
Child Dev. 2005 Sep-Oct;76(5):949-67
16149994
Child Dev. 1994 Apr;65(2 Spec No):507-22
8013237
Am Psychol. 1993 Feb;48(2):90-101
8442578
Child Dev. 1989 Aug;60(4):981-92
2758891
Dev Psychol. 2008 Jan;44(1):286-92
18194027
Child Dev. 1999 May-Jun;70(3):756-67
10368920
J Consult Psychol. 1956 Oct;20(5):343-50
13367264
J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2003 Oct;31(5):543-54
14561061
J Educ Psychol. 2010 Feb 1;102(1):43-53
20411025
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1994 Fall;6(4):411-8
7841812
J Atten Disord. 2010 Jan;13(4):339-46
18728238
Child Dev. 1987 Oct;58(5):1220-34
3665641
J Learn Disabil. 1998 Mar-Apr;31(2):128-38
9529783
J Youth Adolesc. 1985 Jun;14(3):191-206
24301176
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Jun;1021:337-40
15251906
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2000 Feb;41(2):169-79
10750543
Psychol Sci. 2006 Feb;17(2):172-9
16466426
Biol Psychiatry. 2005 Jun 1;57(11):1336-46
15950006
Neuropsychologia. 1990;28(6):517-27
2203993
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Jun;1021:296-309
15251900
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004 Oct;72(5):757-66
15482034
Am J Community Psychol. 2007 Dec;40(3-4):194-213
17968655
J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2007 Aug;35(4):536-42
17333362
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2002 Jun;41(6):680-6
12049442
Child Neuropsychol. 2002 Jun;8(2):71-82
12638061
Child Dev. 1995 Oct;66(5):1360-84
7555221
Child Dev. 1990 Dec;61(6):1697-713
2083493
Science. 2007 Nov 30;318(5855):1387-8
18048670
New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2009 Spring;2009(123):35-50
19306273
Child Dev. 1988 Jun;59(3):815-29
3383681
Child Neuropsychol. 2002 Mar;8(1):52-65
12610776
J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1992 Apr;20(2):163-88
1593025
J Adolesc Health. 1996 Jul;19(1):2-5
8842854
Dev Neuropsychol. 2005;28(1):473-92
15992252
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003 Nov;42(11):1335-42
14566171
Trends Cogn Sci. 2000 Jun;4(6):215-222
10827444
Trends Cogn Sci. 2005 Feb;9(2):69-74
15668099
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2009;35(4):209-13
20180672
J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67 Suppl 8:21-6
16961426
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2002 Sep;43(6):785-96
12236613
Neuropsychol Rev. 1991 Jun;2(2):109-45
1844706
J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2008 Jul;37(3):651-63
18645755
J Stud Alcohol. 2000 Nov;61(6):809-17
11188486
Neuroimage. 2009 Dec;48(4):738-46
19577651
Science. 1989 May 26;244(4907):933-8
2658056
Trends Cogn Sci. 2005 Feb;9(2):60-8
15668098
Cognition. 1994 Nov;53(2):129-53
7805351
Dev Neuropsychol. 2010;35(1):20-36
20390590
Child Dev. 2001 Sep-Oct;72(5):1478-500
11699683
Child Dev. 2001 May-Jun;72(3):929-46
11405592
Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2000 Jan;15(1):31-6
14590565
Brain Cogn. 1992 Sep;20(1):8-23
1389124
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 Jan;35(1):147-68
19794405