Mooney, Kate E orcid.org/0000-0003-4231-1643, Cheung, Rachael W orcid.org/0000-0001-5207-240X, Blower, Sarah L orcid.org/0000-0002-9168-9995 et al. (2 more authors) (2024) Do executive functions and processing speed mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and educational achievement? Analysis of an observational birth cohort study. BMC Psychology. 746. ISSN 2050-7283
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There are large and persistent social inequalities in children's educational attainment, with children from more socioeconomically disadvantaged families consistently having lower attainment. Despite this being widely reported, the mechanisms underlying the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and educational attainment are not well understood. It is important to understand the potential mechanisms by which socioeconomic disadvantage may impede on educational outcomes, as this knowledge could then be used to help target possible interventions to improve educational outcomes for socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Children's executive functions (including working memory and inhibition) and processing speed abilities may underlie these inequalities, however, the previous literature regarding this is limited. This study examined longitudinal mediating mechanisms between socioeconomic status (SES) and educational achievement, using a socioeconomically deprived and ethnically diverse cohort. METHODS: Data from the Born in Bradford longitudinal cohort study was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (n = 4201; 28% White British, 56% Pakistani heritage, 16% Other; 54% Female). SES was measured before birth, executive functions and processing speed were measured in middle childhood (M age=8.45 years), and educational achievement was obtained through educational records (M age=10.85 years). All models adjusted for child gender, age, language ability, ethnicity, and mother immigration status. RESULTS: Executive functions significantly mediated the association between SES and educational achievement (B = 0.109), whilst processing speed did not. Examination of executive function components revealed that working memory significantly mediated the associated between SES and educational achievement (B = 0.100), whilst inhibition did not. Working memory appeared to account for a large proportion (39%) of the total effect of SES on educational achievement. CONCLUSIONS: These results, and the theoretical mechanisms linking working memory to educational achievement, both indicate the importance of finding ways to support children with working memory difficulties in the classroom. This is an important avenue for future research and may be useful for closing the socioeconomic gap in educational achievement.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024. The Author(s). |
Keywords: | Humans,Female,Executive Function,Male,Social Class,Child,Academic Success,Longitudinal Studies,Memory, Short-Term,Educational Status,Birth Cohort,Cohort Studies,Processing Speed |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Health Sciences (York) The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Education (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 02 Jan 2025 12:30 |
Last Modified: | 19 Mar 2025 00:12 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02243-1 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1186/s40359-024-02243-1 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:221197 |