The study examined dimensions of the family context associated
with variations in parent involvement and parent perceptions of children's
school achievement using data from 1,085 male and 2,239 female
respondents with a child between the ages of 5 and 18 years collected in the
1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households. Small but significant
differences in parent perceptions of school achievement were found in
favor of children being raised in a first-married two-parent home.
Negative effects on school outcomes were centered on children who
experienced family disruption. Living in a one-parent household with a
parent who was previous married was associated with parent reports of
poorer performance for elementary school children and lower grades for
adolescents. Neither living in a one-parent household with a continuously
single parent nor living in a stepfamily was significantly related to
achievement. Parent employment status was not directly related to
children's achievement but did have indirect effects through parent
involvement both at home and school.
Parent involvement at school and in child-centered home activities
was associated with perceptions of improved school performance for
elementary school children and higher grades for adolescents. Mothers
were more likely to be involved in children's schooling than fathers.
Single and cohabiting mothers were less involved at school than first-married
mothers, but single fathers tended to be more likely to participate
than their first-married counterparts. There were no significant
differences between the home involvement of single mothers and their
first-married counterparts but single fathers were more involved at home
than first-married fathers. For both mothers and fathers, receiving
tangible aid from a wide network of relatives and friends was associated
with higher levels of school and home involvement.
Findings suggest that educators who have negative beliefs about
single parents' engagement in school-family partnerships may be
influenced by these parents' low presence at school. Recognizing that
single parents are as involved with their children at home as parents in
traditional families can lead to educational practices that support home
involvement and result in positive effects on children's academic progress. / Graduation date: 1994
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/35638 |
| Date | 01 February 1994 |
| Creators | Katzev, Aphra R. |
| Contributors | Acock, Alan C., Sugawara, Alan I. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0021 seconds