INTRODUCTION The traditional family structure dominated the majority of families in the United States up until a continuous decline in the 1970’s. A traditional family, or nuclear family, consists of a father, mother, and their biological children. Currently, the proportion of children raised in a traditional family structure has plummeted since 1970. Other less represented family structures such a single parent, stepfamilies, and extended families are replacing the stereotypical traditional family structure. With the increase in less traditional family structures, some sociologists are concerned about the effect of family structure on a child’s educational achievement. They argue that not only is one’s family structure important for the development …show more content…
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of nontraditional family structures on an individual’s achievements and the school as a whole. Additionally, it was tested to determine if a low socioeconomic status and minimal parental relations of the student body could explain the student’s low academic achievement. Pong (1997) hypothesized that schools with a higher proportion of students with nontraditional family structures negatively effect a student’s academic achievement over the individualistic effects of one’s own family structure. He also hypothesized that low socioeconomic status and a low level of parental involvement in the school explained this negative effect. The data collected nationally represents public and private schools in the United States. Randomly, 26 eighth-grade students from each in school represented in the NELS:88 were analyzed based on a survey completed by the parent. Student-level variables included school outcomes, parental education, family income, and parental school participation. School-level variables included student composition and structural …show more content…
However, the socioeconomic statuses between stepfamilies and traditional families can be very similar. Both can include a social, economic, and cultural contribution to the child’s development. The article was only able to contribute information based on economic deprivation of nontraditional families that is most often seen in single parent family structures. Also, schools with many students from lower socioeconomic statuses experience other circumstances such as a lack of resources that can ultimately affect test
Families.” University of Delaware – Human Development and Family Studies. N.p., 2008. 1-36. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
Over the past decades, the patterns of family structure have changed dramatically in the United States. The typical nuclear family, two married parents with children living together in one household, is no longer the structure of the majority of the families today. The percentage of single-parent families, step-families and adopted families has increased significantly over the years. The nuclear family is a thing of the past. Family situations have tremendous influence upon a child’s academic achievement, behavior and social growth.
...ftery. "Family Structure, Educational Attainment, and Socioeconomic Success: Rethinking the "Pathology of Matriarchy"" American Journal of Sociology 105.2 (1999): 321-65. University of Washington. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Gennetian, Lisa A . “One or Two Parents? Half or Step Siblings? The Effect of Family Structure on Young Children 's Achievement”. Journal of Population Economics , Vol. 18, No. 3 (Sep., 2005), pp. 415-436. Published by: Springer . Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20007969. Web. November 10, 2014
Traditionally the most dominant family form in the United States has been the married couple family. The image of two parents with children living under one roof is the norm for a married couple family. In a married couple family one or both parents work and income levels are gener...
As we have learned through Skolnick’s book, as well as Rubin’s research, the make up of the family is influenced by many factors. The economy, culture, education, ethnicity/race, and tradition all help to create the modern family. The last few decades have heavily influenced the family structure, and while some try to preserve the past, others embrace the future. Through it all, we find you can have both.
In suburban school districts home life, socioeconomic status, and school staff play a huge role in how a student develops within their educational
Stull, Judith C. (2013). Family socioeconomic status, parent expectations, and a child's achievement, Research in Education. Volume 90, pages 53-67.
The meaning of family varies from place to place and from culture to culture. One all-encompassing definition that describes every type of family across the board does not exist. For instance, in places like China children can be raised apart from their father and mother in a group of women, but still count themselves a family. Alan C. Acock in his book Family Diversity and Well Being states that a married couple with no children is not considered a family (122), but some married couples may contest this theory. In fact, there are more variations on modern family structure than ever before, including non-traditional families where grandparents raise their grandchildren, adoptive families, foster families, and blended families with children from two or more sets of parents (“Power Tools”). Despite the challenges faced by many families today, I believe that the children of the current generation—known as Generation Y—can thrive as long as they receive nurture and enrichment from their family members. As a member of Generation Y myself, I speak from first-hand experience. In the following paragraphs, I will give an account of my own upbringing in Nepal that led to my current status as a college student in the USA. I will also briefly describe family structures in America, and compare them to Nepali family structure. In the end, I propose that nurture is the key to producing well-adjusted children today, regardless of family type or where the children are raised.
Fan, X., & Chen, M. (1999). Parental Involvement and Students' Academic Achievement: A. Arlington: National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA.; National Center.
The unit of a family is the most prominent essential for all of us. As social human beings, we seek social support in order to thrive, and that is where family comes into play. A family is where you receive love, support, encouragement, and many other social benefits. The total number of households in the United States increased from 63 million in 1970 to 113 million in 2008 (Weeks, 2012). The family has influenced multitudes of people in many ways. The traditional family in the United States consists two-married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring also know as the nuclear family. However, the term of a true family has ultimately changed over the last 50 years especially for African Americans.
...istics, 1999). McBride, Brent A., Sara K., Sullivan, and Ho-Ho (2005) reported about the achievement levels in a adolescent who grows up with a father, “A study of 1330 children from the PSID showed that fathers who are involved on a personal level with their child schooling increases the likelihood of their child's achievement. When fathers assume a positive role in their child's education, students feel a positive impact.” (p. 201-216). Children who do not grow up in a two parent homes, are more likely to fail and repeat a grade in school. It is also important to note that children who grow up in single parent families are less likely to have parents involved with the school, 62% of children with two parent homes have parents that are involved in school, while children from single parent homes have half of them involved in school (Nord, Winquist, West, 2001).
CITE CROSS-CULTURAL BOOK. Jger, M. (2012). The 'Standard'. Extended family and children’s educational success. American Sociological Review, 77, 903—922.
...academic achievement and also social outcomes for children of all ages. 'The most effective schools are now widely considered to be ones that encourage and support the involvement of parents and other family members in the education of their children' (Grant and Ray, 2010).
When schools, parent, families and communities work together to support learning, students tend to earn higher grades, attend school more regularly, stay in school longer and enrol in other learning program establish by the school. Regardless of the parent’s education and family income, it has been found that parent involvement affects minority student’s academic achievement across all races.