Trait anxiety and adolescent's academic achievement: The role of executive function

Abstract

Research has demonstrated a strong association between self-regulation, in particular executive function (EF), and academic achievement in children. There is evidence suggesting that anxiety, common among children and adolescents, is associated with poor academic achievement and academic failure. Although results from studies with adults indicate that trait anxiety and self-regulation are related, less attention has been given to examining this relation among adolescents. The goals of this study were to examine the associations among EF, trait anxiety and academic achievement and to test the mediating role of EF on the relation between trait anxiety and academic achievement among adolescents. A sample of 174 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students (M age = 12.78, SD = 1.18) were recruited from middle schools and summer programs in Florida. Students completed measures of working memory (WM), inhibitory control (IC), shifting (SH), trait anxiety, and reading and math skills. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the best fitting structure of EF. Mediational analyses were conducted to examine the indirect effects of EF on the relation between trait anxiety and each academic outcome. A two-factor model of EF (WM and combined IC and SH) provided the best fit to the data. The Trait Anxiety factor was positively related to both EF factors but there was no difference in the strength of the associations. WM mediated the relation between Trait Anxiety and academic outcomes. The findings suggest that trait anxiety may enhance WM, which could lead to improvements in academic achievement in adolescents.