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Investigating the development of executive functions and their relationship with educational attainment during adolescence: a study of inhibition, shifting and working memory
Background
Research regarding the development of executive functions (EFs) and their
association with educational attainment has disproportionately focused on younger
ages, mainly pre-schoolers and primary school aged children. Conversely, the
period of adolescence and specifically the later stages thereof have been largely
overlooked, despite indications suggesting that particular aspects of EFs continue
developing throughout adolescence and into young adulthood. Researching EFs
during the latter part of adolescence might be particularly informative considering
the increasing academic demands that adolescents encounter at school during
these ages. In the final years of secondary school, adolescents are called to make
critical academic and life decisions and work towards long-term goals (e.g.,
employment, further education), rendering EFs ever more potent during this period.
Furthermore, in multifaceted subjects, such as science, in which attainment relies
heavily on a variety of transferable skills, it may be through these skills that EFs
affect adolescents’ attainment.
Methods
This thesis constitutes a unique contribution to the existing EF literature, in that it
addresses questions regarding the development and relation of EFs to educational
attainment in the previously overlooked period of late adolescence. Attainment in
different disciplines was examined separately and, in the case of science, numeracy
and non-verbal reasoning skills were examined as mediators of the relationship
between EFs and attainment. A total of 347 adolescents, aged between 14 and 18
(i.e., years 3-5 of secondary school), were administered cognitive tasks that
measured three EF components, namely inhibition, shifting and working memory,
and completed paper-based assessments of their numeracy and non-verbal
reasoning skills. Participants’ school grades/performance in national qualifications
on a variety of subjects were considered as indicators of their educational
attainment.
Results
The results showed that, within the large cross-sectional sample of 14-18 year olds
considered, there were significant developmental changes in inhibition, but not
shifting or working memory. Furthermore, there was strong evidence of associations
between older adolescents’ EFs and their attainment in the curriculum areas of
English, maths, science, social studies, modern languages and arts. Interestingly,
the patterns of association among the three EF components and attainment differed
as a function of age cohort. In a separate study, EFs were examined in relation to
the oldest (fifth-year) adolescents’ performance in national qualifications for entry
into university, but EFs were not found to have any significant effect beyond that of
socioeconomic status. Finally, it was shown that the relationship between EFs and
attainment in science was mediated by numeracy but not non-verbal reasoning
skills.
Conclusions
This thesis showcases the significance of studying EFs in adolescence, with the
results showing that certain aspects of EF continued maturing during the ages of 14-
18 and had an ongoing effect on adolescents’ educational attainment. These
findings suggest that, even during the later stages of adolescence, EFs may
constitute a useful target for educational interventions aimed at improving pupils’
attainment. In addition, this thesis highlights the important role of socioeconomic
status as a determining factor of adolescents’ EFs and their educational attainment