Award Date

5-1-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education

First Committee Member

Scott Loe

Second Committee Member

Katherine Lee

Third Committee Member

Samuel Song

Fourth Committee Member

Joseph Morgan

Number of Pages

100

Abstract

Anxiety in Children can develop into pervasive disorders in adulthood if not treated. Research shows dysfunctional Executive Function (EF) and anxiety are both shown to have a negative impact on math achievement in children and adolescents (Trezise & Reeve, 2018; Kalaycioglu, 2015; Owens, Stevenson, Hadwin & Norgate, 2012). Chung, Weyandt, and Swentosky (2014) found biological and neuropsychological support for EF as a unitary and multifaceted processor for regulating our emotional states as well as our daily procedures. Anderson’s (2002) model of Executive Control System (ECS) allows the factors of EF to be examined using a developmental approach towards EF processes. He groups the EF skills into four domains: attentional control, cognitive flexibility, information processing and goal setting. The current study uses the factors inhibition, divided attention, verbal fluency, and planning to represent each domain, respectfully. We measured (n = 18) adolescent’s EF skills, anxiety levels and math achievement by their scores from the DKEFs, BASC-2 and the BASC-3, the WIAT III and WJ IV- ACH, respectfully. With this small sample, the results suggest the EF domain attentional control via inhibition, as measured by the Color Work Interference Test (CWIT) from the DKEFs, mediated anxiety and math achievement. Future studies using a larger sample are necessary to replicate the current study's findings on the mediating relationship of EF between anxiety, and math achievement in adolescence due to the small sample size.

Keywords

Adolescence; Anxiety; Development; Executive Control System; Executive Function; Math Achievement

Disciplines

Educational Psychology | Medical Neurobiology | Neuroscience and Neurobiology | Neurosciences | Psychology

File Format

pdf

File Size

866 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


Share

COinS