The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of determining the ability of economically disadvantaged black children to comprehend a specific grammatical operation, the non-identity requirement of pronominalization. In addition, the study is also concerned with describing selected characteristics of the language of the subjects in the study through the utilization of a task of imitation. The subjects of the study were forty-eight black children who were between the ages of four and ten years. All subjects were from families in which the natural parents were living together in the same household. The parents and children were native residents of the area and were recipients of federal welfare aid. None of the subjects in the study had histories of physiological, psychological, neurological, or auditory problems, and none were presently enrolled in rehabilitative language programs. A general estimate of intelligence was provided by the administration of the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale.

Barnfattigdomen är ett samhällsproblem som är högaktuellt i media och i samhällsdebatten. Syftet med studien var att få en ökad kunskap om de fattiga barnens situation i Sverige, detta för att kunna ta fram empowermentstrategier som skulle kunna underlätta för dem, utifrån ett socialpedagogiskt förhållningssätt. Uppsatsen är upplagd som en litteraturstudie och genom textanalys har vi sökt svar på frågorna: Vilken problematik möter de fattiga barnen i hemmet, i skolan och på fritiden? Hur hanterar barnen sin situation? Hur ser barnens behov ut? Kan vi underlätta för barnen och i så fall på vilket sätt? I vår resultatdel tittade vi på vilken problematik fattiga barn möter och hur de hanterar det.  Resultatet visar att de möter begränsningar och upplever känslor av skam, i jämförelse med andra barn. Skolan visade sig vara en central arena där problematiken var tydlig. Barnen bär mycket inom sig och har en ekonomisk medvetenhet. För att hantera problematiken använder de sig av olika strategier som att minska sina behov, dölja sin situation osv. I analysen lyfts barnens behov fram utifrån empowerment och tidigare forskning.  Det framkom att barnen behöver stärkas och få möjligheter till deltagande. Vi avslutar med en diskussion om hur vi kan underlätta för de fattiga barnen. De professionella, t.ex. inom skolan, behöver bli medvetna om strukturer som finns och som skapar ett utanförskap. / Child poverty is a social problem that is highly topical in the media and in public debate.The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the situation of the poor children in Sweden, this in order to develop empowerment strategies that could help them, from a social pedagogic approach. Our essay is written as a literature review and through text analysis we have sought answers to the questions: What problems do the children living in poverty face in their homes, at school and in their spare time? How do they handle their situation? What are the needs of these children? Can we make it easier for them and if so, in what way? In our result we looked at the problems poor children face and how they handle them. The result shows that they encounter limitations and experience feelings of shame, in comparison with other children. The school was found to be a central arena where the problems were obvious. Children bear much inwardly, and have an economic consciousness. To deal with problems they use different strategies to reduce their needs, to hide their situation and so on. In the analysis the children's needs, based on empowerment and previous research, are highlighted. It was found that the children need to be strengthened and given opportunities to participate. We conclude with a discussion on how we can facilitate for the children living in poverty. The professionals, for example at schools, need to be aware of structures that exist and which create a sense of exclusion.