Longitudinal reciprocal relations among reading, executive function, and social-emotional skills: Maybe not for all.

Abstract

In this study, we investigated longitudinal reciprocal relations among reading, executive function, and social-emotional skills in students from Grades 2 to 5, using the data set from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011. We addressed several important gaps in the literature on longitudinal reciprocal relations by using latent factors to represent the executive function and social-emotional skills in latent growth models with structured residuals, separating between- and within-person effects, and examining sample effects with a general population sample, students with reading difficulties, and high-performing students. Our results showed longitudinal reciprocal relations between reading and executive function in high-performing students, such that with development, the contribution of executive function to reading grew stronger while the contribution of reading to executive function remained stable; we found no longitudinal reciprocal relations between reading and social-emotional skills in any of the three sample groups; and these patterns of results remained the same based on the control of socioeconomic status and sensitivity analyses. Together, the results of this study support the heterogenous hypothesis of mutualism theory in education: The effect of mutualism may be stronger in some contexts and populations than in others. Longitudinal reciprocal relations between executive function and reading may be driven mostly by high-quality and intensive learning and practice in reading, not by socioeconomic status.

Co‐development among reading, math, science, and verbal working memory in the elementary stage

“…One important finding of the present study is that mutualistic effects between academic skills and verbal working memory were found only in the high‐ability groups (high academic or verbal working memory abilities) but not in the general population sample or in the four low‐ability groups. This finding is in line with Zhang and Peng (2023), but it provides stronger evidence to support mutualistic effects of abilities in education (Peng & Kievit, 2020). Mutualism theory posits that mutualism effects vary across diverse populations.…”

“…Similarly, the development of verbal working memory may also be influenced by continuous practice of progressively complex academic tasks (especially math), in line with the domain‐specific view of working memory (Peng et al, 2018). Our findings also validate heterogeneous mutualism in education (Peng & Kievit, 2020; Zhang & Peng, 2023). Compared with students with low academic abilities, those with high academic abilities (especially high‐math students) may improve academic performance through the efficient accumulation of knowledge and through academic ↔ cognitive mutualism.…”

“…We estimated a series of models for the general population sample, the four low‐ability groups, and the four high‐ability groups (Feldon & Litson, 2021; Zhang & Peng, 2023).…”

“…Three studies with LGM‐SR have produced mixed findings, likely due to different ability levels and to the various skills included in the model. Zhang and Peng (2023) tested mutualism among reading, executive function, and social emotional skills based on different samples from Grades 2 through 5; they found only reading ↔ executive functions mutualism for the high‐reading group. Feldon and Litson (2021) focused only on verbal working memory and reading in a general population sample from K through Grade 2 and did not detect any mutualism.…”

“…Ferrer et al (2010) found mutualism between reading and cognition in typical readers but not in those with persistently poor reading. Zhang and Peng (2023) suggested that there may be mutualism between reading and cognition only in those with high reading ability, not in those with low reading ability or in a general population sample. However, both Ferrer et al (2010) and Zhang and Peng (2023) focused on reading ability.…”