Ishita Ahmed

Graduate Student Research Funding | 2023–2024 Academic Year

Leave No Child Behind: Validating Novel Executive Function Measures Representing Children’s Experiences in Rural Bangladesh

This research validates novel executive function (EF) measures that represent children's everyday experiences in rural Bangladesh. Existing EF measures developed in high-income countries often fail to reflect the unique cultural contexts of low- and middle-income countries. This study integrates in-depth field research to design culturally relevant tasks mirroring local practices like prayer and adapt parent- and teacher-report measures of children’s EF. Ahmed will validate these novel measures with 400 households and 50 teachers across two districts. Ahmed's findings will contribute to the Global Executive Function Initiative, providing essential tools for policymakers and researchers to address global child development inequities.

Ishita Ahmed, Department of Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS) - SHIPS

Ahmed focuses on how to promote equitable education for marginalized communities in the U.S. and low-and-middle-income countries. Her work aims to improve measurement of psychological constructs that contribute to student outcomes and integrate them into economic analyses of education intervention effectiveness. In particular, she uses mixed methods to design and adapt contextually relevant measures of executive functions for rural Bangladesh. Her current research will validate two novel EF measures in Bangladesh and her results will inform how to adapt EF measures globally. Ahmed aims to integrate contextually relevant measures into future research examining the effectiveness of parenting interventions to improve foundational child development skills.

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