Executive functioning in students with different levels of reading comprehension

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in executive functioning (EF) between two groups of subjects in the last cycle of Primary Education with different levels of reading comprehension (medium-high and medium-low). The sample consisted of 148 children (78 and 70 respectively). The participants passed neuropsychological tasks related to the executive functions of working memory, inhibition and attention. To evaluate the behavioral FE, their teachers also completed the questionnaire Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF, Gioia, Isquith, Guy and Kenworthy, 2000). The results showed differences between both groups in neuropsychological tasks of working memory and attention. Especially important were the differences found in all the factors included in the metacognition index of the BRIEF completed by the teachers. The implications of these findings for research and psychoeducational practice are discussed.

Keywords

• funcionamiento ejecutivo
• comprensión lectora
• memoria de trabajo
• atención
• metacognición