Abstract
The current study examined whether sport participation in preschool was related to executive functioning (EF) and academic outcomes (i.e., math, language, literacy) in the fall and spring of kindergarten, as well as whether EF in the fall of kindergarten mediated the relation between sport participation in preschool and academic outcomes in the spring of kindergarten. The sample was drawn from a state-funded prekindergarten program evaluation (n = 120 children; mean age at baseline = 57.63 months, female = 47%, mean monthly family income = $1636.92). Parents reported on child sport participation in the spring of the child’s preschool year. Children were directly assessed on EF and academic achievement in the fall and spring of kindergarten. Results revealed that sport participation in preschool only predicted literacy in the spring of kindergarten. There was no evidence that EF mediated the relation between sport participation and academic outcomes. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Highlights
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Preschool sport participation may predict specific academic skills in kindergarten.
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Executive functioning did not mediate the relation between sport and academic skills.
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Varied conceptualizations of sport may inform relations between sport and cognition.
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References
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L.M.B: conceptualization, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, writing—original draft, visualization. R.J.D.: validation, writing—review & editing, supervision. D.J.P.: writing—review & editing. J.A.B.: writing—review & editing. J.E.: project administration. S.A.S.: conceptualization, project administration, methodology, writing—review & Editing, supervision.
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This work was supported by the Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration (contract # F1-79-15-PK-0374).
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Bryant, L.M., Duncan, R.J., Purpura, D.J. et al. Testing Longitudinal Relations among Preschool Sport and Kindergarten Executive Function and Academic Outcomes. J Child Fam Stud 33, 835–848 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02671-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02671-4