Executive Functions and Early Academic Achievement Across Socioeconomic Contexts: Evidence from Preschool Academic Resilience

Research Findings: Socioeconomic inequalities in academic achievement emerge early, yet some disadvantaged children achieve high academic performance, a pattern termed academic resilience. This study examined associations between socioeconomic status (SES), pre-academic achievement, and executive functions (EF) in 2,088 French preschool children. Using a definition-based approach, SES and achievement tertiles were cross-classified into nine learner profiles, including academically resilient children (low SES, high achievement). Bayesian ANCOVAs compared working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility across profiles. Pre-academic achievement was more strongly associated with EF performance than SES, with consistent differences between low- and high-achieving children across socioeconomic backgrounds. After accounting for achievement, SES showed no credible independent association with EF. Academically resilient children exhibited EF performance comparable to that of socioeconomically advantaged high achievers and higher than that of low-achieving peers. Practice or Policy: These findings highlight the importance of considering academic achievement alongside socioeconomic background when examining cognitive functioning at school entry. They suggest that academically resilient children may demonstrate age-appropriate adaptive functioning rather than distinctive compensatory executive processes. Educational approaches should therefore avoid assuming that children from disadvantaged backgrounds necessarily exhibit executive-function difficulties and instead consider individual differences in cognitive and academic development.