What Is the Role of Executive Function in the Early Elementary School Achievement of Latino Students?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The early elementary years are foundational for future academic achievement, and, as the number of Latino students in U.S. schools continues to rise, more attention has been given to the academic performance of these young learners. Yet little is known about the cognitive skills, such as executive function (EF), that may underlie Latinos’ academic performance in the early grades. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K:2011; N = 4,220), the current study examines the role that kindergarten EF plays in the second grade academic achievement of Latino students, after accounting for SES and English oral language skills. Specifically, it: (1) examines the influence of SES and English oral language skills on the growth of EF in the early elementary grades; and (2) investigates whether kindergarten EF predicts second grade academic achievement and mediates the influence of SES and English oral language skills. Results suggest that kindergarten EF plays a role in second-grade reading and math. Working memory, in particular, is predictive of future achievement, mediating the relationship between both kindergarten-entry English oral language skills and SES and second-grade achievement. Implications for practice and research are discussed.