Author: Teri L. DeLuccaPublisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
ABSTRACT: Children from low-income families are at an increased risk for delays in cognitive development. Such delays may affect a set of basic underlying cognitive skills termed executive functions that are necessary for learning in academic environments. The primary goal of this study was to examine differences in the executive functioning skills of children from low-income families compared to their more affluent peers over time. A second goal of this study was to determine the role of family income in the relationship between children's executive functioning and academic performance. Performance on the Tower of London (TOL) was measured in 174 low and middle-income children who were followed from kindergarten through fourth grade. Growth curve analyses were conducted using multilevel modeling techniques. Findings indicate that family income differences were associated with disparities in performance on each measure of executive functioning over the course of the study. Low-income children solved fewer problems correctly and of the problems solved they had longer solution times and made less efficient moves than middle-income children. Executive functions were found to mediate the relationship between family income and children's reading and math achievement. Results are discussed in terms of implications for early intervention programs.
