Abstract
This 7-year longitudinal study examined relationships between the executive function (EF) at preschool age and the academic achievement during elementary school years. The study participants consisted of 46 Japanese children (24 boys and 22 girls, mean age = 77.88 months). In the first part of the study, participants performed cool and hot EFs. Follow-up surveys were performed when the participants reached the first, third, and sixth grades. Their academic achievements were evaluated by Japanese and math tests at each grade. The results showed that participants’ cool and hot EFs had direct effects on their academic achievements in the first grade and indirect effects in the third and sixth grades. In addition, the effects of cool EF were larger than those of hot EF. Taken together, it was suggested that preschoolers’ EFs directly affect their academic achievements in the first grade and the academic competencies in the early year influence later academic achievements.
