Development of inhibitory control in Head Start children: Association with approaches to learning and academic outcomes in kindergarten

Inhibitory control (IC) and Approaches to Learning (AtL) are two critical domain-general indicators of school readiness that develop rapidly in early childhood and are associated with children's academic outcomes. IC undergoes rapid developmental changes between the ages of 3 and 5, and more studies are needed to examine this change over time. AtL describes how children learn in a classroom, and as such, it may mediate the relationship between IC and academic outcomes. AtL may mediate the relationship between IC and academic achievement for children; growth in IC supports children's ability to direct attention to teachers and peers during interactions, while AtL helps children persist and seek learning opportunities during interactions. Using the Age 3 cohort from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 (FACES 2009), a latent growth curve analysis was used to examine how both the initial level and growth of IC in HS years to kindergarten were associated with children's academic outcomes in kindergarten as well as the potential mediational role of AtL. The intercept and slope of IC were found to predict children's abilities in AtL, language, and math scores in kindergarten. Moreover, AtL was identified as a mediator between the development of IC and the subsequent gains in math skills from Head Start to kindergarten. These findings underscore the significance of fostering IC development before children enter kindergarten, with AtL emerging as a crucial factor influencing their achievements in mathematics.