Executive Functioning (EF) is a cognitive skill set that encompasses metacognition and emotional and behavioral regulation. EF skills grow into adulthood but may have lagging development due to a variety of factors. The resulting executive dysfunction may impact behavior, performance, and social interactions. Many of the skills needed to access a…

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students' performance on fraction story problems is a cause for concern given that knowledge of fractions in the elementary grades is essential for learning Algebra in secondary school and advanced mathematics in college. Using grounded theory, the current study investigated DHH college students' cognitive strategies…

This study was designed to investigate the frequency with which students identified as having a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) combined with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are further assessed for deficits of executive function and working memory. Data were collected and analyzed from…

Motivational variables, such as writing self-efficacy and writing attitudes, are not emphasized in writing frameworks for developing writers. The purpose of this research study was to extend the research literature on elementary-aged students' writing development by examining the potential mediational role of writing self-efficacy and writing…

The present study investigated the relationship between two major components of executive functioning (EF) and externalizing behavior problems (EBP) during the early elementary years. More specifically, Working Memory (WM) and Cognitive Flexibility (CF) measured in kindergarten through second grade were used to predict teacher ratings of EBP in…

Executive functions are a varied pattern of cognitive functioning abilities that are tied to student achievement, emotional and behavioral regulation, and performance. It has been well documented the importance of these skills upon a variety of student domains of functioning, with recent emphasis on academics and behavior and attention. This…

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of executive function (EF) skills (i.e., working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition) in supporting the development of reading fluency in elementary school students with dyslexia. Participants were 47 students (i.e., second to sixth grade) attending a private school in the Mid-South…

Executive functioning has been a buzz word in education for a few years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The research around executive functioning is exploding, as teachers are seeking to support students entering their classrooms with what seems like a wider variety of needs and less independence than ever before. Many districts are…

High school graduates with language deficits often have poor emotion regulation (ER), enter the workforce unprepared to meet the emotional demands, and experience workforce outcomes that lead to a poor quality of life. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) teach ER, but little is known about ER-targeted speech-language therapy (ERSLT) for high…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the systems, structures, and on-going professional development that leaders of elementary schools in New York State provide to support students who struggle with ADHD and executive functioning skills. The study used interviews as a data collection tool. Sixteen participants, including principals…

High level reading comprehension is a process that results in a reader's semantic interpretation of a text, or mental model of that text, referred to as the "reader's situation model." Individual differences in readers' verbal working memory resources, as measured by reading span tasks (RST), and operation span tasks (OST), have shown to…

This dissertation study aimed to explore whether and how individual differences in verbal and visuospatial working memory capacity and executive functions influence elementary students' mathematics fact mastery and mathematics anxiety as they engage in learning using ReflexTM, a game-based, visuospatial rich adaptive learning platform for…

This study examines how gains in mathematics achievement are related to executive processing functions and student sociodemographic characteristics across schools' national representative longitudinal sample of children in kindergarten (K) followed through grade four in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 2010. Mathematics trajectories were…

Engineering play is a new perspective on preschool education that views constructive play as an engineering design process that parallels the way engineers think and work when they develop engineered solutions to human problems (Bairaktarova, Evangelou, Bagiati, & Brophy, 2011). Early research from this perspective supports its use in framing…

This dissertation investigated the roles of early childhood fundamental motor skills (FMS) competence on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health outcomes among underserved preschoolers in Head Start, and examined parental influence on their children's FMS competence. An explanatory sequential mixed methodology was used to examine the…