Preschool Executive Function Profiles: Implications for Math Achievement in Grades 1 and 3

This longitudinal study aimed to identify specific executive function (EF) profiles in 5-year-old children and to examine the association between these profiles and later math achievement. Six EF measures were administered to 175 children who were then tested in Grades 1 and 3 on math tasks. Using a cluster analysis, four EF profiles were identified: an optimal EF profile, a typical EF profile, a weak working memory (WM)-shifting profile, and a general EF deficit profile. These groups performed differently in math. In particular, the group with a weak WM-shifting profile, whose performance was equivalent to that of the group with a typical EF profile in arithmetic facts and in math problems in Grade 1, showed difficulties similar to the group, with general EF deficits in Grade 3. The association of minor difficulties in WM at preschool ages with later math achievement and the implications for educational practices are discussed.