This study assessed the suitability of two questionnaires, the Amsterdam Executive Function Inventory (AEFI) and the Executive Skills Questionnaire (ESQ), for measuring executive functioning (EF)...Show moreThis study assessed the suitability of two questionnaires, the Amsterdam Executive Function Inventory (AEFI) and the Executive Skills Questionnaire (ESQ), for measuring executive functioning (EF) and distinguishing groups of students whose academic success is hindered due to low EF. A sample of 188 first-year students aged 18 to 25 years completed either the AEFI or ESQ, along with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A). Data on academic success (credits, resists, average grade) was obtained from school records. The quality of the two questionnaires was measured by means of internal validity through exploratory factor analyses (EFA), reliability through correlation coefficients and external validity through the comparison of AEFI and ESQ subscales to similar BRIEF-A subscales using Kendall’s tau-b. Next, Hierarchical Cluster Analyses (HCA) were conducted to create clusters of students. Subsequently, Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to determine if the clusters significantly differed in EF. Lastly, Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVA) were performed to investigate the differences in academic success between low and high EF clusters. Two from the 11 items were removed to ensure sufficient quality on all three quality measures of the AEFI. For the ESQ 24 from the 36 items (including seven complete subscales) were removed to ensure sufficient internal validity, and one subscale was removed to ensure sufficient reliability. The AEFI was deemed suitable for measuring Attention, Planning & Initiative, and SelfControl & Self-monitoring, while the ESQ was appropriate for measuring Sustained Attention, Organization, Flexibility, and Goal-directed Persistence. The HCA’s identified four distinct EF clusters for the AEFI and three distinct EF clusters for the ESQ. Results from the ANOVA indicated a statistically significant difference between the identified clusters for each subscale of both the AEFI and ESQ. However, results from the MANOVA’s indicated no significant multivariate effect of EF cluster on academic success for either of the two questionnaires. Both questionnaires demonstrated improvements through removal of low-quality items, with the AEFI showing higher overall quality. However, the AEFI and ESQ were both unable to distinguishing groups of students whose academic success is hindered due to low EF.Show less
