Editorial: Executive Function and Education, volume II: Considerations for Academic Success - Across Contexts and Populations

Abstract

Executive function is an umbrella term that refers to a set of fundamental cognitive functions essential for fostering goal-oriented and socially adaptive behavior. These cognitive functions enable us to flexibly retain crucial information, reflect within the context of novel situations, inhibit ingrained responses, and facilitate novel actions. As the concept of executive function gained significant attention in the field of education, we initiated a Frontiers Research Topic on the intersection of executive function and education (Huizinga et al., [2]). In that Research Topic, the papers highlighted the critical role of executive function in academic success, illustrating how school performance is influenced not only by direct executive function engagement but also by the child's interactions with family members and teachers. These insights reflect the importance of incorporating context when developing educational interventions and curricula. Additionally, intervention research shows a shift toward more holistic strategies that are specific to context and/or individual differences. In this second Research Topic, the role of executive function in academic success is extended to address ways that executive function relates to academic success across diverse groups by including scholarship on behavioral differences that impact achievement, including peer interactions, classroom emotion regulation, and learning disorders. With this focus in mind, we present four excellent contributions-two original research articles, one conceptual paper focusing on hypothesis and theory, and one systematic review. The two empirical articles highlight the importance of examining the individual differences and the bidirectional and temporal relationships between executive function, teacher child relationships (TCRs), and academic performance.