Date of Award

Spring 4-26-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor/Committee Member

Scott Beers, Ph.D

Second Advisor/Committee Member

William Nagy, Ph.D

Third Advisor/Committee Member

John Bond, Ed.D

Keywords

executive function, kindergarten readiness, working memory, inhibitory control, self-regulation, attention

Abstract

Executive function skills, which are defined as a person’s ability to regulate behaviors such as attention, working memory, and inhibitory control, play a role in a child’s successful transition from preschool to kindergarten. The purpose of this study was to review and analyze the relationship between executive function in early childhood, as measured by the WaKIDS GOLDTM social-emotional and cognitive subtests, and early reading readiness. The research design was both correlational and predictive (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2006). The target population is kindergarteners in a suburban Washington State school district. The study is based on data collected at the beginning of the kindergarten year and at the end of the year using the social emotional and cognitive subtests of the WaKIDS GOLDTM assessment. WaKIDS GOLDTM cognitive and social emotional subtests. WaKIDS GOLDTM subtests were found to have a low to moderate correlation to early reading skills, specifically phonemic awareness and were also found to be a moderate predictor of growth in reading skills over the kindergarten year.

Download

Share

COinS