The School Success and Adjustment of Young African American Children

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Title: The School Success and Adjustment of Young African American Children
Author: Carpenter, Gloria Jean Oliver
Description: The purpose of this study was to extend a theoretical model of parent involvement to African American families and examine its influence on African American children’s school success and adjustment as measured by standardized performance and teacher ratings in reading and math, and teacher ratings of externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors. The study also examined the longitudinal effects of parent involvement on growth in student school performance and changes in school adjustment. Specifically, kindergarten parent involvement at school and at home was hypothesized to have a moderating effect on school success and adjustment. Data were obtained from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study for Kindergarteners and included participants in kindergarten, Spring 1st grade, and Spring 3rd grade. The sample consisted of 3,210 African American students in the kindergarten year. Cross-sectional data analyses revealed significant models for parent and school variables predicting kindergarten and third grade externalizing problem behaviors, and first grade internalizing problem behaviors. Contrary to the hypothesis of extending a model of parent involvement, the data analyses did not reveal significant relationships between home and school variables and school success outcomes. Longitudinal analyses also did not indicate a significant moderation effect for kindergarten parent involvement; however, kindergarten parent involvement at school significantly predicted children’s growth on standardized performance measures of school success, and changes in teacher ratings of externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors. Overall, the findings suggest positive outcomes of early parent involvement at school in regards to students’ standardized performance as well as teacher ratings of school adjustment. Given the findings and lack of support for the theoretical model, measurement issues for assessment of African Americans were discussed along with suggestions for improvements in culturally-specific measures. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research were also discussed.
Permanent Link: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1119635112
http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/18390
Date: 2005

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