Heterogeneity in Metacognitive Skills and Executive Function as Predictors of Academic Achievement among African American Elementary Students in High-Poverty Urban Schools

Academic achievements significantly predict long-term life outcomes for students, yet children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds face systemic barriers to academic achievement. While literature suggested that metacognitive skills (e.g., planning, self-monitoring) and executive functions (e.g., inhibition, working memory) are possible predictors of academic achievements (Samuel & Okonkwo, 2021; Stanton et al., 2021; Ribner et al., 2017; Daucourt et al., 2018), their longitudinal effects (i.e., how they evolve and influences academic performance over time), particularly in low-SES population remain underexplored (Dutemple et al., 2024; Roebers et al., 2012). Moreover, most studies in the literature focus on either executive functions or metacognition independently, and fe existing research shows inconsistent findings on their relative contributions (Wu & Was, 2023). This study, thus, will investigates the unique immediate and longitudinal effects of metacognitive skills and executive functions on academic achievement in low-SES. It aims to: 1. Compare the associative strength/predictive power of metacognition and executive functions on young students’ academic achievement 2. Investigate the longitudinal predictive validity and sustained effects of metacognitive skills and executive functions on academic achievement over time.