Abstract

The role of the executives functions in academic performance in children of 9 years old. Neuropsicologia Latinoamericana [online]. 2015, vol.7, n.2, pp. 42-47. ISSN 2075-9479.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5579/rnl.2015.0229.

The Executive Function (EF) is a multidimensional theoretical construct. Lezak (1995) defines it as the set of skills that allow effectively conduct with a purpose. These skills are developed in childhood and adolescence and play an important role in cognitive functioning and therefore in Student Achievement (SA) (Portellano, Martinez, & Zumarraga, 2009). The overall objective of this work is to study the relationship between EF and the SA in children of 9 years old and determine which specific processes of the EF are related to it. To do this, we adopt measures of planning, working memory, verbal fluency, selective and sustained attention and academic performance. The group of participants consisted of 101 children of both sex who attended fourth grade of three private schools of La Matanza, Province of Buenos Aires. In a previous study (Reyes, Barreyro, & Injoque-Ricle, 2014), through a confirmatory factor analysis, a suitable model of EF was composed of the following skills: planning, working memory, verbal fluency and sustained attention. This model was built on an analysis of trails in order to determine the relationship between EF and RA, finding a suitable model where the EF significantly predicts global RA (X² (19) = 28.04, p = .08, GFI = .94, CFI = .92; RMSEA = .06). Finally, we made an analysis of correlations between tests that asses EF' skills and the RA, noting that it is related at this age with working memory, verbal fluency, sustained attention, selective attention and planning associated. The results show that the predictor of EF on the RA's effect is important for the child to a good adaptation to the specific demands of the school's context. A proper development of executive processes would enable the child to recognize and mentally represent different problematic situations raised by their teachers, and also allow you to design and implement strategies to solve them.

Keywords : Academic achievement; 4th grade; Cognitive processes.

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