The relationship between SR and development in mathematics and vocabulary
SR, which encompasses cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning (Denham et al., 2012) has concurrent and longitudinal predictive effects on children’s academic performance, particularly in mathematics (Peng & Kievit, 2020). One key aspect is the shared physiological basis between SR and mathematics. Children’s mathematical development relies on a neurobiological foundation for SR (Rosenberg-Lee et al., 2011). Children with stronger SR demonstrate greater mathematical competence compared to those with weaker SR (Simanowski & Krajewski, 2019). Remarkably, even after accounting for covariates such as gender and age (Blair & Raver, 2015), increases in SR significantly enhance mathematics (Simanowski & Krajewski, 2019). Notably, this effect holds consistently across different cultures (Lan et al., 2011). Furthermore, SR exhibits a strong connection with children’s vocabulary (Butterfuss & Kendeou, 2018). Children with stronger SR tend to excel in vocabulary and growth compared to those with weaker SR (Korucu et al., 2022). This link may be attributed to SR prompting children to focus their attention, process information from multiple sources, and provide more opportunities for vocabulary acquisition (Rojas & Abenavoli, 2021).