A new study led by Anne Conway, the new Urban Child Institute Endowed Professor in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Social Work, shows that large disparities in executive function exist among children even before they begin formal schooling. “Disparities in Kindergarteners’ Executive Functions at Kindergarten Entry: Relations with Parenting and Child Care” was published recently in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
The study also showed that parents’ expectations, along with the learning resources and opportunities they’re able to provide—from reading to their children to keeping ample books in the home to arranging private child care—are associated with less disparity in kids’ executive function.
“Disparities in Kindergarteners’ Executive Functions at Kindergarten Entry: Relations with Parenting and Child Care” was published recently in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
Dr. Conway joined the faculty at UTCSW Knoxville this fall. Dr. Conway studies the development of neurocognition (i.e., focusing attention and ignoring distractions) and self-regulation (i.e., self-management of emotion, behavior, sleep), and associations with child well-being and mental health. She holds a MSW, MS in Developmental Psychology, and joint PhD in Social Work and Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan. She also holds a MA from Catholic University and a BA from Merrimack College. She was awarded two research fellowships funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to pursue postdoctoral training in childhood and adolescent mental health and developmental neuroscience.