Pathways to Early Academic Achievement
Exploring the Contributions of Early Environments, Attention Regulation, and Language Skills
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21615915 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Irem Korucu (0000-0001-7185-2284, Florida Atlantic University, corresponding author), Robert J Duncan (0000-0001-6900-0322, Colorado State University), Sara A Schmitt (0000-0002-6427-2588, University of Oregon) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-08 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Early Education and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1040-9289 • E-ISSN: 1556-6935 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10409289.2025.2608967 |
| OpenAlex | W7119530219 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 91 |
The current study investigated the longitudinal associations between home and classroom environments at age three and academic outcomes at age nine, as well as the mediating role of attention regulation and language skills around school entry. Data came from the first four waves of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing study. Twenty-two percent of the mothers were White, 52% were African American, 22% were Hispanic, and 3% identified as other. Research Findings: There were no significant direct associations between early environments and later achievement. However, language at age five mediated the associations between the home environment at age three and academic skills, both mathematics and literacy, at age nine. Moreover, attention regulation at age five mediated the association between the classroom environment at age three and mathematics at age nine. Practice or Policy: The importance of early learning environments for children’s later academic achievement through school readiness skills (e.g. attention regulation and language), as well as research and policy implications are discussed
Academic skills · Child development · Cognition · Comprehension · Comprehension approach · Language acquisition · Language development · Language proficiency · Early Childhood Education and Development · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Reading and Literacy Development
The relationship between the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale and its revised form and child outcomes
Development of Academic Skills from Preschool Through Second Grade
Early literacy and early numeracy
Relation Between Language Experiences in Preschool Classrooms and Children’s Kindergarten and Fourth-Grade Language and Reading Abilities
Impacts of a Prekindergarten Program on Children's Mathematics, Language, Literacy, Executive Function, and Emotional Skills
Do Effects of Early Child Care Extend to Age 15 Years? Results From the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
Measuring Early Care and Education Quality
The Home Environments of Children in the United States Part II
The Relation of Preschool Child-Care Quality to Children's Cognitive and Social Developmental Trajectories through Second Grade
Child Care and Low-Income Children's Development
Relating Quality of Center-Based Child Care to Early Cognitive and Language Development Longitudinally
From External Regulation to Self-Regulation
Home Environment and School Performance
How much is too much? The influence of preschool centers on children's social and cognitive development
The Development of Executive Attention
The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Revisited
Evidence for General and Domain-Specific Elements of Teacher–Child Interactions
Effects of Racism on Child Development
Trajectories of the Home Learning Environment Across the First 5 Years
Modeling the Impacts of Child Care Quality on Children's Preschool Cognitive Development
The World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview short‐form (CIDI‐SF)
Examining Associations between the Home Literacy Environment, Executive Function, and School Readiness
Commentary
How do socioeconomic attainment gaps in early mathematical ability arise
Parent–child conversations during play
The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior
Executive function
Features of Pre-Kindergarten Programs, Classrooms, and Teachers
Early home learning environment predicts children’s 5th grade academic skills
Executive function in preschoolers
Constructing and Adapting Causal and Formative Measures of Family Settings
The Homelife Interview from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods
Chaos, Culture, and Covariance Structures
The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (Home) Inventory
Improving school readiness of high-risk preschoolers
Null relations between CLASS scores and gains in children’s language, math, and executive function skills
Using block play to enhance preschool children’s mathematics and executive functioning
Associations between classroom quality and children's vocabulary and executive function skills in an urban public prekindergarten program
Relations between preschool attention span-persistence and age 25 educational outcomes
Factor structure and validity of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Third Edition (Ecers-3)
Ready to learn? Children's pre-academic achievement in pre-Kindergarten programs
Household chaos and children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development in early childhood
ECE quality indicators and child outcomes
Home and preschool learning environments and their relations to the development of early numeracy skills
Fragile Families
Timing of high-quality child care and cognitive, language, and preacademic development
Associations among family environment, sustained attention, and school readiness for low-income children
The legacy of early experiences in development
Interpreting the early language trajectories of children from low-SES and language minority homes
Charting early trajectories of executive control with the shape school
The nature and impact of changes in home learning environment on development of language and academic skills in preschool children
Preschool center care quality effects on academic achievement
Early child care and adolescent functioning at the end of high school
Two approaches to estimating the effect of parenting on the development of executive function in early childhood
The contribution of children’s self-regulation and classroom quality to children’s adaptive behaviors in the kindergarten classroom
Understanding the Mechanisms Through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes
Regulation of distress and negative emotions
The development of cognitive skills and gains in academic school readiness for children from low-income families
The neighborhoods they live in
The Early Childhood Home Inventory and Home-Short Form in Differing Racial/Ethnic Groups
| Highly cited | No |
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