Department of Neuropsychology , Kennedy Krieger Institute , Baltimore , MD , USA.
Child Neuropsychol. 2011;17(3):255-80. doi: 10.1080/09297049.2010.535654.
Executive function (EF) skills play an important role in children's cognitive and social functioning. These skills develop throughout childhood, concurrently with a number of developmental transitions and challenges. One of these challenges is the transition from elementary into middle-level schools, which has the potential to significantly disrupt children's academic and social trajectories. However, little is known about the role of EF in children's adjustment during this transition. This study investigated the relation between children's EF skills, assessed both before and during elementary school, and sixth grade academic and social competence. In addition, the influences of the type of school setting attended in sixth grade on children's academic and behavioral outcomes were examined. EF assessed prior to and during elementary school significantly predicted sixth grade competence, as rated by teachers and parents, in both academic and social domains, after controlling for background characteristics. The interactions between type of school setting and EF skills were significant: Parents tended to report more behavioral problems and less regulatory control in children with weaker EF skills who were attending middle school. In contrast, teachers reported greater academic and behavioral difficulty in students with poorer EF attending elementary school settings. In conclusion, children's performance-based EF skills significantly affect adjustment to the academic and behavioral demands of sixth grade, with parent report suggesting greater difficulty for children with poorer EF in settings where children are provided with less external supports (e.g., middle school).
执行功能（EF）技能在儿童的认知和社会功能中起着重要作用。这些技能在儿童时期发展，与许多发展过渡和挑战同时发生。其中一个挑战是从小学过渡到中学，这有可能严重打乱儿童的学业和社交轨迹。然而，对于 EF 在儿童在这个过渡期间的适应中的作用知之甚少。本研究调查了儿童 EF 技能与小学和六年级学业和社交能力之间的关系。此外，还研究了六年级所就读学校类型对儿童学业和行为结果的影响。在小学之前和期间评估的 EF 技能在控制背景特征后，显著预测了教师和家长对学术和社会领域六年级的能力评估。学校设置类型和 EF 技能之间的相互作用具有显著性：在就读中学的 EF 技能较弱的儿童中，父母往往报告更多的行为问题和较少的监管控制。相比之下，教师报告在接受小学教育的 EF 较差的学生中，学业和行为困难更大。总之，儿童基于表现的 EF 技能显著影响对六年级学业和行为要求的适应，父母报告表明 EF 较差的儿童在提供较少外部支持的环境（例如中学）中会遇到更大的困难。
