Research Proposal

Executive Functioning, IQ, and

School Achievement




Shelina, Carli, and Jayla
Outline
1. Purpose of Study
2. Literature Review
3. Research Question
4. Hypothesis
5. Participants & Sampling
6. Evaluation Design & Instruments
7. Procedure
8. Ethical Considerations
9. Limitations
10. References
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a
relationship exists between executive functioning, IQ, and
academic success. Furthermore, we would like to examine the
impact of executive functions on academic success at a range
of grade levels.
Literature Review
n = 151; 11 - 16 year old males.
EF predicted academic achievement in all domains:
Conceptual flexibility predicted achievement in reading and science
Monitoring predicted achievement in reading and social studies
Inhibition predicted mathematics and science
(Latzman, Elkovitch, Young & Clark, 2009)
Literature Review
Specific executive functions linked with certain academic
domains:
Updating abilities highly correlated with verbal and visual-spatial working memory
tasks
Working memory highly correlated with achievement in English and Mathematics
Inhibition highly correlated with achievement in English, mathematics and science
St. Clair-Thopmson & Gathercole, 2006
Literature Review
Early academic success is strongly correlated with higher cold
executive functions.

Cold executive functions and math have the strongest, most
direct correlation.
Brock, L. L., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Nathanson, L., & Grimm, K. J. (2009)
Literature Review

With ADHD: n = 259; without ADHD: n = 222
ADHD + EFD = Increased likelihood of grade retention and
academic failure than ADHD alone.
Biederman, Joseph; Monuteaux, Michael C.; Doyle, Alysa E.; Seidman, Larry
J.; Wilens, Timothy E.; Ferrero, Frances; Morgan, Christie L.; Faraone,
Stephen V, 2004.
Literature Review
Executive Functions and IQ are invariable correlated:
Updating working memory = strong correlation
Correlation between shifting and inhibiting were insignificantly
correlated to IQ
Friedman, N. P., Miyake, A., Corley, R. P., Young, S. E., DeFries, J. C., & Hewitt, J. K. (2006)
Literature Review

HIstorically IQ scores = main diagnostic evidence
Present time = more holistic approach
(Reynolds & Shaywitz, 2009; Flanagan, Ortiz, & Alfonso, 2013)

EXAMPLE: BC Ministry of Education criteria for a learning
disability
(BC MInistry of Education, 2010)
Research Question
Is there a correlation between executive functioning, IQ
and academic success?
To what degree do executive functions contribute to
academic success in the primary, intermediate, middle
school and high school grades?


Hypothesis
Measures of EF and IQ will better predict
academic success than IQ scores alone.

The correlation between EF and academic
success will be stronger in the higher grades.




Participants and Sampling

Stratified Sample: gender, SES, ethnicity, ESL status
Grades: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12
Sample: representative of the general population



Participants and Sampling
We will use a random sample procedure to select students
and will include them if consent is given

6 public schools from different areas of the city (2 elementary,
2 junior high, 2 high school)

Total of 150 students will be sampled, equally distributed
between the schools.

Within this population, we will be sampling students in grades
1, 3, 5, 6,8, 9, 11, and 12.
Evaluation Design
Correlational Research Design:
identify the direction and degree of association between sets
of scores
help explain complex relationship between multiple factors
Instruments
IQ:
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 3
rd
edition (WAIS-III)
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)
EF:
Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)
ACH:
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Second Edition (WIAT-II)
Procedure
1. Select participants based on sample requirements; obtain
consent
2. Administer WAIS/WISC, BRIEF, and WIAT-II
3. Score and interpret all assessments to determine IQ, EF, and
achievement scores for each student
4. Compare IQ-ACH & EF-ACH for each student
Multiple Regression of data:
Independent Variables = IQ and EF
Dependent Variables = ACH
Ethical Considerations
We will not be subjecting our participants to any intervention as
such; rather, we will be using assessment tools to measure EF,
IQ, and academic achievement.
Therefore, ethical considerations in this research would be
related to assessment, including:
Consent, as the majority of our sample will be under age 18
Potential interference with any current or near future psycho-
educational assessments


Limitations
Not indicative of every grade
Does not consider students who have skipped or been
withheld a grade
Does not consider clinical populations
Is not representative of diverse geographical populations
Relatively small sample sizes of each grade may affect
external validity, or generalizability, of the results
Multicollinearity between independent variables may yield an
unstable regression equation
References
BC Ministry of Education (2010). Special Education Codes: Category Checklists - 2010.

Best, J. R., Miller, P. H., & Naglieri, J. A. (2011). Relations between executive function and academic achievement from
ages 5 to 17 in a large, representative national sample. Learning and Individual Differences, 21(4), 327-336.

Biederman, J., Monuteaux, M. C., Doyle, A. E., Seidman, L. J., Wilens, T. E., Ferrero, F., ... & Faraone, S. V. (2004).
Impact of executive function deficits and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on academic
outcomes in children. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 72(5), 757.

Brock, L. L., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Nathanson, L., & Grimm, K. J. (2009). The contributions of hotand coolexecutive
function to children's academic achievement, learning-related behaviors, and engagement in
kindergarten.Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24(3), 337-349.

Decker, S. L., Hale, J. B., & Flanagan, D. P. (2013). Professional practice issues in the assessment of cognitive
functioning for educational applications.Psychology in the Schools, 50(3), 300-313.

Friedman, N. P., Miyake, A., Corley, R. P., Young, S. E., DeFries, J. C., & Hewitt, J. K. (2006). Not all executive
functions are related to intelligence.Psychological science, 17(2), 172-179.

References

Latzman, R.D., Elkovitch, N., Young, J., & Clark, L.A. (2009). The contribution of executive functioning to academic
achievement among male adolescents. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 32(5), 455-
462.

St Clair-Thompson, H. L., & Gathercole, S. E. (2006). Executive functions and achievements in school: Shifting,
updating, inhibition, and working memory. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 59(4), 745-
759.
Visu-Petra, L., Cheie, L., Benga, O., & Miclea, M. (2012). The structure of executive functions in preschoolers: An
investigation using the NEPSY battery. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 33, 627-631.