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ERIC Number: EJ1436380
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Sep
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1363-755X
EISSN: EISSN-1467-7687
Available Date: N/A
Executive Functioning Skills and Their Environmental Predictors among Pre-School Aged Children in South Africa and The Gambia
Bosiljka Milosavljevic; Caylee J. Cook; Tijan Fadera; Giulia Ghillia; Steven J. Howard; Hleliwe Makaula; Ebrima Mbye; Samantha McCann; Rebecca Merkley; Mbulelo Mshudulu; Mariama Saidykhan; Ebou Touray; Nosibusiso Tshetu; Clare Elwell; Sophie E. Moore; Gaia Scerif; Catherine E. Draper; Sarah Lloyd-Fox
Developmental Science, v27 n5 e13407 2024
Executive functions (EFs) in early childhood are predictors of later developmental outcomes and school readiness. Much of the research on EFs and their psychosocial correlates has been conducted in high-income, minority world countries, which represent a small and biased portion of children globally. The aim of this study is to examine EFs among children aged 3-5 years in two African countries, South Africa (SA) and The Gambia (GM), and to explore shared and distinct predictors of EFs in these settings. The SA sample (N = 243, 51.9% female) was recruited from low-income communities within the Cape Town Metropolitan area. In GM, participants (N = 171, 49.7% female) were recruited from the rural West Kiang region. EFs, working memory (WM), inhibitory control (IC) and cognitive flexibility (CF), were measured using tablet-based tasks. Associations between EF task performance and indicators of socioeconomic status (household assets, caregiver education) and family enrichment factors (enrichment activities, diversity of caregivers) were assessed. Participants in SA scored higher on all EF tasks, but children in both sites predominantly scored within the expected range for their age. There were no associations between EFs and household or familial variables in SA, except for a trend-level association between caregiver education and CF. Patterns were similar in GM, where there was a trend-level association between WM and enrichment activities but no other relationships. We challenge the postulation that children in low-income settings have poorer EFs, simply due to lower socioeconomic status, but highlight the need to identify predictors of EFs in diverse, global settings.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Gambia; South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A