Sex and School Differences in Executive Function Performance of Zambian Public Preschoolers

Gabriel Walubita^1, , Beatrice Matafwali¹, Tamara Chansa-Kabali², Sylvia Mwanza-Kabaghe¹, Gershom Chongwe³, Sophie Kasonde-Ng'andu¹, Mubanga Mofu¹, Janet Serenje¹ and Adriana Bus⁴

¹Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

²Department of Psychology, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

³Director and Chief Executive Officer at the Tropical Diseases Research Centre, Zambia

⁴University of Stavanger, Norway

Cite this paper:
Gabriel Walubita, Beatrice Matafwali, Tamara Chansa-Kabali, Sylvia Mwanza-Kabaghe, Gershom Chongwe, Sophie Kasonde-Ng'andu, Mubanga Mofu, Janet Serenje and Adriana Bus. Sex and School Differences in Executive Function Performance of Zambian Public Preschoolers. American Journal of Applied Psychology. 2022; 10(1):31-39. doi: 10.12691/ajap-10-1-5

Abstract

Despite a great deal of research on the relations between preschool executive functions (EF) and demographic variables such as age, sex and school variables (classroom organization and teacher behaviours including quality of educational instruction, planning, organization and teacher-learner relationships), not much is known about these associations in Zambian preschoolers. This study was aimed at examining the relations of executive functions to age, sex and school variables in 133 Zambian preschool learners enrolled in urban public preschools aged 5 to 8 years. A between-subjects quasi-experimental research design was utilised. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank model showed sex and school differences were also observed to be significantly related to executive functions, no significant relationship was found for age. Key implications of the study for pre-primary policy, girl-child education (to discourage child marriage) and preschool teacher professional development in Zambia are discussed.

Keywords:
Zambian preschool learners executive functions sex differences school variables

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