Children’s Theory of Mind and Academic Achievement: a Meta-analysis on Reading Comprehension and Math Skills

Abstract Children’s theory of mind (ToM) is critical for academic success, yet its associations with reading comprehension and mathematics remain unclear. This pre-registered meta-analysis synthesizes findings from 53 studies, including 12,347 participants aged 2.5 – 17 years. Results revealed a significant overall association between ToM and academic achievement ( r = .32), which: (i) did not differ across domains (i.e., reading, mathematics, general achievement); (ii) was independent of verbal ability, non-verbal ability, executive function, and socioeconomic status; and (iii) appeared bidirectional. These longitudinal findings should be interpreted with caution, as they are largely based on zero-order associations without baseline controls. Sample (i.e., age, gender and country) and task characteristics (i.e., level of mentalizing, ToM stimulus type, mental state category, response type, and sensitivity to individual differences) did not moderate the relation between ToM and academic achievement, although weaker effects emerged in European samples. Our results demonstrate a consistent association between ToM and academic achievement underscoring the potential contribution of social–cognitive understanding to children’s academic development. Future research should clarify the mechanisms underlying this association, its domain specificity, and the direction of causal influence.