Fine motor skills and executive function both contribute to kindergarten achievement.
Open accessAbstract
This study examined the contribution of executive function (EF) and multiple aspects of fine motor skills to achievement on 6 standardized assessments in a sample of middle-socioeconomic status kindergarteners. Three- and 4-year-olds’ (n = 213) fine and gross motor skills were assessed in a home visit before kindergarten, EF was measured at fall of kindergarten, and Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Academic Achievement were administered at fall and spring. Correlations indicated that EF and fine motor skills appeared distinct. Further, controlling for background variables, higher levels of both EF and fine motor skills, specifically design copy, predicted higher achievement on multiple subtests at kindergarten entry, as well as improvement from fall to spring. Implications for research on school readiness are discussed.
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Design copy is highly related to other tests of executive function.
“Design copy is highly related to other tests of executive function (Grissmer et al., 2010; Cameron et al., 2012; Fuhs et al., 2014; Lipsey et al., 2017) and has good test-retest reliability (r = 0.72 in Lipsey et al., 2017).”
From Montessori Preschool Elevates and Equalizes Child Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study (2017) · cites this paper as Cameron et al., 2012
The Results (page not available) state that the study’s executive-function measure, HTKS-EF, was positively correlated with some fine-motor measures, but not with design copy. That directly conflicts with the claim that design copy is highly related to other executive-function tests. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe Head Toes Knees Shoulders Task has been used to measure both behavioural self-regulation and executive functioning.
“Similarly, the “Head Toes Knees Shoulders Task” has been used to measure both behavioural self-regulation73 and executive functioning74.”
From A systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of early life non-cognitive skills on academic, psychosocial, cognitive and health outcomes (2018) · cites this paper as [74]
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“Design copy is highly related to other tests of executive function (Grissmer et al., 2010; Cameron et al., 2012; Fuhs et al., 2014; Lipsey et al., 2017) and has good test-retest reliability (r = 0.”
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- Authors
- Cameron, C. E., Brock, L. L., Murrah, W. M., Bell, L. H., Worzalla, S. L., Grissmer, D., & Morrison, F. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Virginia (US)
- College of Charleston (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cameron, Claire E
- Venue
- Child Development
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2012-07-01
- Volume
- 83
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1229-1244
- ISSN
- 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8624
- PMC
- PMC3399936
- OpenAlex
- W1521378727
- Cited by
- 520
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 39 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 56 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 83.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Child Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Deep Blue (University of Michigan) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01-HD27176, U10HD038121, R01HD027176)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Children's Physical and Motor Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Keywords
- fine motor skills, executive function, school readiness, gross motor skills, preschool children, academic performance, socioeconomic status
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Awareness, Child Development, Child, Preschool, Educational Status, Ethnicity, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Male, Motor Skills, Reading, Vocabulary, Executive Function
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