Measuring executive functions in context: Self-regulating behavior in the kindergarten classroom

We examined the utility of two commonly employed measures of executive functions (EFs) to aid early childhood educational researchers in their choice of EF measures and interpretation of results: The Head, Toes, Knees, Shoulders Extended Task (HTKS-E) and the Brief Inventory of Executive Functions – Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). To do so, we examined convergent validity of the two measures, differences in age and gender, and relations to other important classroom variables, such as social and emotional competencies and quality of relationships between kindergarteners and their teachers. We also investigated between-group differences in classroom behaviors and relationships of children who met the clinical cutoff on the BRIEF-P screener of EF dysfunction and those who did not. Both measures of EFs were significantly related to social and emotional competencies and teacher-student relationship quality. We found evidence that EFs are differentiated in kindergarten children and that individual dimensions of EFs are related to different aspects of student classroom behaviors and experiences. Boys were more likely to meet the clinical cutoff on the BRIEF-P; students in this group demonstrated significantly lower scores on the HTKS-E, lower social and emotional competencies, and less closeness with teachers. They also experienced significantly greater aggressive and dysregulated behavior in the classroom and more conflict with teachers. Whereas the HTKS-E was better able to differentiate among children with higher EF proficiency, the BRIEF-P was better able to identify children who may need extra support in the classroom.