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RESEARCH PROPOSAL TO TEST IMPACT OF FAMILY STRUCTURE ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
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Proposes a study to determine whether family structure can explain poor academic performance.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Proposes a study to determine whether family structure can explain poor academic performance. Impact of traditional & non-traditional families on variations of academic performance. Discusses theoretical context & theories of human development (Piaget & Vygotsky); prior conflicting studies on the topic. Stanford 9 Achievement Test. Methodology, research design, data collection. Table of Contents.
Paper Introduction:
The Impact of Family Structure
on Student Achievement
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163). J. Using this general linear model procedure, one can test nullhypotheses about the effects of factor variables on the means of variousgroupings of a joint distribution of dependent variables. Human Development,36(2), 82-86. In Damon, W. New York: Plenum. The road less traveled by girls. In the same generalarea of research, it was found that, in the first year subsequent todivorce, scores on standard academic performance tests were adverselyaffected for both boys and girls of school age, but that grades were notadversely affected. 1-13). The test measures student achievement on four dimensions ingrades two through eight (total reading, total mathematics, language, andspelling) and on five dimensions in grades nine through 11 (spelling isdropped and science and social science are added). Piaget's theory is based on organization and adaptation.Organization refers to an ability to order and classify new experiences,while adaptation enables an individual to understand the surroundingenvironment. 17 Instrumentation ................................. Lessons from Catholic high schools on renewing oureducation institutions. (Ed.). V. Downey, D. No other measure of studentperformance will be used in the proposed study.Limitations Primary determinations of student family structure will be made on thebasis of information provided to the participating school by parents. Such is not always the case, however, as, in some cases,suffer or prosper while the other group remains relatively unaffected. Advances in developmental research. Restructuring Schools (pp.81-96). J. Pollina, A. This function is expressed in essentially the same formsimultaneously across different symbolic systems. (1991, January). EducationDigest, 63(5), 49-51. Vygotsky also contendedthat higher mental functioning within an individual has its origins insocial life. (199 ), Children's reluctance to seek helpwith schoolwork. Holmes, N. Assimilation and accommodation, along with equilibration andfunctional assimilation, are stage-independent conceptions in Piaget'scognitive theory of human development. A parent's economicshadow: Family structure versus family resources as influences on earlyschool administration. 13 Conclusions Relevant to the Study Problem ....... This applies equally tovoluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts.All the higher functions originate as actual relationships betweenindividuals" (p. (1991). (1991). Dependent variables: The dependent variables will be studenttotal reading and total mathematics scores on the Stanford 9 AchievementTest administered by the school district. The effects of family structure on educationalattainment: Do the effects vary by the age of the child? 5. (1977). Lifespan development. New York:W. References ASTONE, N. One problem with Piaget's theory is that, although the theory is"offered as universal," the theory cannot "be replicated among children ofall cultures" (Dasen, 1977, 68). M. In a study of the effect ofdivorce on school aged children, Forehand, McCombs, Long, & Brody (1988)found that continued conflict between the divorce partners had an adverseeffect on school aged children in the contexts of social development,cognitive functioning, and the ability to externalize. In Damon, W.(Ed.). H. The major theme of Vygotsky's (1978) theoretical framework is thatsocial interaction plays a fundamental role in the development ofcognition. (1997). (1995). L. Armonk, NewYork: M. R., & Alexander, K. (Ed.). V. W. Usually, a groupthat performs below the norm is examined to determine possible reasons forthe poor performance. Vygotsky's (1981) "general genetic law of cultural development" holdsthat "any function in the child's cultural development appears twice, or ontwo planes. C. AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICALREVIEW, 56, 3 9-32 . Child development today and tomorrow. Effortswill be made to minimize the effects of this limitation by validatingparental-provided information with classroom teachers, counselors, andother school personnel with knowledge of student family situations. Growing up in a single parent family:The effect on education and earnings of young men. Norton. Vygotsky, L. Accommodation is a more advancedprocess that involves the restructuring of mental organization in order toinclude new information (Turner & Helms, 1991). F. The factor variables divide the population intogroups. If this study findssignificant differences in total math and total reading scores in relationto family structure (traditional and non-traditional families), theparticipating school district may decide to use this information to assiststudents with lower scores through (1) peer tutoring, (2) after schooltutoring, (3) mentoring programs, and (4) community outreach program.While the assumption is that, should significant differences in scores befound, students from non-traditional families will be in the lower scoringgroup, this assumption must be validated through research before it can beused as a basis for an intervention.Purpose This study will examine students at a specific school where studentshave consistently under performed on the Stanford 9 Achievement Test. Rather, exploratory research designsinvestigate relationships among and between variables as they exist in theenvironment being studied.Variables and Operational Definitions As stated in Chapter 1 of this study, one hypothesis will be tested inthe proposed study. These factors explain much of the variation in students' scores onstandardized tests. In Damon, W.(Ed.). R. The two sets of theoryshare several fundamental premises. Teaching as transaction.Exceptional Children, 6 (5), 434-449. (1989). First it appears on the social plane, and then on thepsychological plane. R., Cundick, B. Entwisle, D. The purpose of this study,therefore, will be to determine whether and to what extent family structurecan serve to explain variations in student academic performance at theschool.Research Question One research question will be investigated. (Ed.). San Francisco:Jossey-Bass Publishers. Rather, theproposed study will assess the relationship between student academicperformance and student family structure. Experimental research designs require interventions, control groups.and the random selection of subjects. (1992).Differences in school behavior and achievement between children fromintact, reconstituted and single-parent families. Education and Urban Society, 3 (1), 9 -1 6. (1989) Infants in relation: Performers, pupils, andpartners. Vygotsky contended that the direction of intellectual developmentmoved from the social to the individual rather than the reverse (deLisi,1982). Educational Studies, 6(3), 199-2 9. New York: Random House. In part, the cognitive development theories of Piaget and Vygotsky may"be viewed as providing distinctive but generally complementary accounts ofthe development processes with different methodologies and a differentscope of explanation" (Zimmerman, 1993, p. Damon, W. Krein, S. (1988). M., & MCLANAHAN, S. Student performance will be examined in relation to only twodimensions of the Stanford 9 Achievement Test. C. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 92-1 . (1995). San Francisco:Jossey-Bass. Gender differences are one example of areason that a particular group may score differently than another. InDamon, W. One caninvestigate interactions between factors as well as the effects ofindividual factors. These records are stored electronicallyand, under the supervision of appropriate school staff, the researcher willdownload the required data to test the study hypotheses.Data Analysis The hypotheses will be tested through the application of the GeneralLinear Model (GLM) Multivariate procedure to the data sets. Savage Inequaiities. (pp. (1997). Tothe extent that such information is not factually correct, the findings ofthe research that will be performed for this study will be biased. S. 17 Data Analysis ................................... Chapter 3 MethodologyINTRODUCTION The research methodology that will be followed in the conduct of thisstudy is described and explained in this chapter. SchoolAdministrator, 48(1 ), 11-2 . Sociology of Education, 65, 48-65. Understanding academic achievement amongchildren in stephouseholds: The role of parental resources, sex ofstepparent, and sex of child. Vygotsky contended that understanding any aspect of humanfunctioning required an understanding of the origins of and transitionsundergone in such functioning (Wertsch, 1989). Literature is reviewed in support of the study's purpose.Theoretical Context The cognitive concept of human development was pioneered by JeanPiaget. Zimmerman, B. (1991). In Hallinan, M. Concepts and theories of human development. The threeCs of safe schools. (1994). (1982). S. Earlyadolescent adjustment to recent parental divorce. Entwisle and Alexander (1995) found that child achievement wasnegatively affected by family structure in the summer but not in thewinter. This hypothesis will be as follows:Mean total reading and total mathematics scores on the Stanford 9Achievement Test will be lower for students from non-traditional familiesthan for students from traditional families.Delimitations The data for this study will be drawn from a single school and asingle grade level within that school. E. 5 Research Questions .............................. (1986, January). (1978). 6 Delimitations ................................... In recent years, numerous studies have beenconducted that link family structure with academic achievement. 1997), most likely because students from higher socioeconomicgroups attend better funded schools. Family Relations, 35,161-168. For example, recent studies have exposed reasons whygirls generally score lower than boys on standardized mathematics tests(e.g., Holmes, 1991; Kaplan & Aronson, 1994; Mulryan, 1995; Newman &Goldin, 199 ; Pollina, 1995). Sharpe. 2. C. (1962). Cambridge, Massachusetts:Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. B. Five years subsequent to divorce, however, it wasfound that both scores on standard academic performance tests and gradeswere adversely affected for school aged boys, but that neither wasadversely affected for school aged girls (Kaye, 1988). (1991). Sergiovanni, T. I., & Harrington, A. Vygotsky's theory posits a progression in regulations whereby achild moves from adult control and guidance to self-regulation (Jamieson,1994). 15 Variables and Operational Definitions ........... C. Mulkey, L. 293). FAMILY STRUCTURE,PARENTAL PRACTICES, AND HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION. New York: Gardner Press. (4th ed.).New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. (1995). The independent variable will be definedoperationally as (a) traditional family structure or (b) non-traditionalfamily structure.Population and Sample The population that will be investigated by the proposed study willinclude all students in grades in the participating elementary school. 9 Theoretical Context ............................. As a consequence, the findings of the proposed study andany conclusions based upon those findings will not be generalizable beyondthe research sample.Definition of Key Terms Four terms that will be used in the proposed study require definition. Play, dreams, and imitation in childhood. M., Crain, R. B. Turner, J. (3rded.). Adolescence, 27(1 5), 1-12. Lastly, the Stanford 9 Achievement Test is a standardized instrumentused to assess student mastery in the content areas of readingcomprehension, reading vocabulary, mathematical problem solving, andmathematical procedures. Educational Leadership, 53(1), 3 -33. The Impact of Family Structure on Student Achievement Table of Contents PAGE NUMBER Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION .................................... Bryk, A. 57).Prior Studies in the Field Krein (1986) that living in a single-parent household had a negativeeffect on formal educational attainment. The ANOVA manifestation of the model is mostappropriate for the proposed study, as the independent (predictor) variableis nominal in character, while the dependent variables are interval incharacter. The concept of activity in Soviet psychology. (1995). 288-311. EducationalLeadership, 55(4): 7-1 . Chapter 2 Review of LiteratureINTRODUCTION The purpose of this study will be to determine whether and to whatextent family structure can serve to explain variations in student academicperformance. They found further, however, thateducational achievement between the two groups did not vary. A major differencebetween the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky lies in the perception of therelationship between individuals and their environments (Schoenberg, 1991). Kozol, J. Teaching Tolerance,3(1), 21-27. 15 Introduction .................................... Exploratory research designs, by contrast, do not involveattempts to manipulate outcomes. The variables in this hypothesis will be definedoperationally as follows: 1. Thisschool has been the subject of prior investigations by the district inefforts to identify causes of student under performance. Building community in schools. Piagetian psychology: Cross-culturalcontributions. Reinstein, D. Chmelynski, C. Kaplan, J., & Aronson, D. deLisi, R. A. New York: Harper. 5 Hypothesis ...................................... Quasi-experimental research designsdiffer from experimental research designs in that random selection is notrequired. First it appears between people as aninterpsychological category, and then within the child as anintrapsychological category. 16 Population and Sample ........................... The genesis of higher mental functions. Still another area receivingattention has been classroom structure, in which the way classrooms areorganized and how classes are conducted has been found to have asignificant impact on student achievement (Bryk, 1995; Castaneda, 1997;Johnson, Johnson, Stevahn, & Hodne, 1997; Sergiovanni, 1994). Cultural environments in child development. Vygotsky's theory isconsistent with the view that achievement is the product of action incontext. Where an advantage did accrue to either children from traditionalfamilies or from non-traditional families, however, that advantage accruedto children from traditional families What is not well explained in thearticle reporting the results of this study, however, is why children'sstandardized test scores should vary in relation to family structure asmoderated by the season of the year. 6 Limitations ..................................... 9 Introduction .................................... (1989). One such factor that is drawing increasing attention is the roleplayed by family structure. Slavin, R. Vygotsky's theory is relevant to the teaching of young childrenbecause the theory recognizes the "special status of joint activity betweena child and an adult" (Uzgiris, 1989, p. Can education reduce social inequality? Crossing the economic divide. These five stages of human development aresensorimotor development, preconceptual thought, intuitive thought,concrete operations, and formal operations. (1997). S. (1994). Dasen, P. San Francisco: Jossey-BassPublishers, pp. 14-33. Piaget, J. A numberof studies have found that students from traditional families (i.e.,families with two birth parents) tend to out perform students from non-traditional families (Downey, 1995; Featherstone, Cundick, & Jensen, 1992;Garasky, 1995; Mulkey, Grain, & Rarrington, 1992). (1993, March-April). Children's thought and language. (198 , October). Thestudy sample will include all students in all second grade classes in theparticipating school for who family structure data and Stanford 9Achievement Test scores are available.Instrumentation Special instrumentation will not be used in the data collection forthe proposed study. Mind in society. Mutryan, C. New York StateJournal of Medicine, 82(9), 1383-1386. Sutton, A. Gender balance: Lessons from girls in science andmathematics. InWertsch, J. Segregated schools in the '9 s. (1997). Vygotsky posited, thus, that the quality of the child's socialmilieu is the governing factor in the child's intellectual development(Sutton, 198 ). Journal of Marriage and Family, 57, 399-4 9. The numbers gap. 17 REFERENCES .............................................. Modifications of thetheory have been developed to accommodate organized variations inexperience that affect cognitive competence (LeVine, 1989). According tothese internal studies, none of the traditional reasons for differences inperformance satisfactorily explain the problems at the school (AssistantSuperintendent of Curriculum Personal communication, 1999). Child development today and tomorrow. EducationalLeadership, 55(4): 28-9. (1981). Conclusions Relevant to the Study Problem While the findings of prior research studies are mixed in relation tothe effects of family structure on the academic performance of children,the majority of the studies reviewed in this area of interest reportedfinding either that positive effects on academic performance wereassociated children living in traditional families, or that negativeeffects were associated with children living in non-traditional families.At a casual glance, it may appear that these two outcomes are two sides ofthe same coin. 3 Purpose ......................................... It will not be possible to declare that the study sample isrepresentative of any population of students other than the students in theresearch sample. 7 2 - REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................ Uzgiris, I. LeVine, R. Social Forces, 73(3), 875-894. The impact of divorce on children's academicperformance. P., & Jensen, L. (1992, January).One-parent households and achievement: Economic and behavioral explanationsof a small effect. This study will examine a group of second grade students' totalreading and total mathematics scores on the 1998 Stanford 9 AchievementTest testing family structure as an explanatory variable in relation tovariations in student academic performance. (1991, JUNE). Functional assimilation is the concept thatexplains why human development continues after equilibration has beenattained (Lerner, 1991). The GLMMultivariate procedure provides regression analysis and analysis ofvariance (ANOVA) for multiple dependent variables by one or more factorvariables or covariates. If Vygotsky's theories are correct, the tradition inAmerican education of a focus on individual may require revision. Studies have also found that social class has a profound impact onacademic achievement (Chmelynski, 1998; Kozol, 1991; Reinstein, 1997;Slavin. M. Cultural disadvantage and Vygotsky'sstages of development. (pp. (1988). 52-68).SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Vygotsky (1978) stated that: "Every function in the child'scultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later,on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) andthen inside the child (intrapsychological). Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 27(1), 179-186. The proposed methodologyis addressed within the contexts of (1) research design, (2) variable andoperational definitions, (3) population and sample, (4) data collection,and (5) data analysis.Research Design The research design for the proposed study will be exploratory andcorrelational in character. American Journalof Economics and Sociology, 54(1), 89-1 5. The dependent variableswill be defined operationally as student scores on the total reading andtotal mathematics dimensions of the Stanford 9 Achievement Test forstudents in grade two. Individual and society in cognitivedevelopment. As a result,educators and researchers search for factors to explain such differences inscores. Piaget's cognitive theory of human development also includes stage-dependent concepts. 18 Chapter 1 IntroductionPROBLEM STATEMENT There is a long history in the United States of investigating thecauses of poor academic performance on standard tests. (1989). Commentary. Damon (1989) held that Vygotsky's theory provides a way ofunderstanding social and individual determinants without reducing one tothe other. S., & Helms, D. In conflicting findings, however, Astone and McLanahan (1991) foundthat children living in a traditional family structure received moreeducational support and encouragement than did children in single-familyhomes or home with step-parents. Newman, R. Assimilation involves theperception and interpretation of new information within the context ofexisting knowledge and understanding. Jamieson, J. (1994, March-April). A "non-traditional family,"will be defined for the proposed study as any other householdconfiguration, i.e., single-parent family, separated parents, step-parentin the household, or another child in the household who is neither thebiological offspring of both parents in the household nor an adopted childof the two parents in he household. Kaye, S. Journal of Consulting andClinical Psychology, 56(4), 624_627. Child development today and tomorrow. The internal studies undertaken by the school district have never usedfamily structure as an explanatory variable when examining the causes ofstudent under-performance at this school. (1998). Lerner, R. Castaneda, L. Vygotsky's concept of semioticmediation involves three basic elements: an account of the historical,social institutional, and cultural setting of a society; an analysis of thesemiotic mediation that reflects and constitutes this setting; and anaccount of the intrapsychological correlates that derive from mastering theforms of semiotic mediation. R. This is equally true with regard toinvoluntary attention, logical memory, the formation of concepts, thedevelopment of volition" (p. The data required for the study already are inofficial school databases.Data Collection The data collection process for the proposed study will involve theextraction of the required data from the official records maintained by theparticipating elementary school. Alternative to failure: A community-basedprogram for Latino teens. (1995). Fifth and sixth graders' involvement andparticipation in cooperative small groups in mathematics. No other students will be includedin the study. Featherstone, D. Equilibration refers to the balancebetween the action of an organism on its environment and the action of theenvironment on the organism. The first term is "family structure," which will be defined as familyconfiguration as either a "traditional family" or as a "non-traditionalfamily." For purposes of the proposed study, a "traditional family" willbe defined as one wherein both birth parents reside in the household withthe student member of the research sample. Wertsch, J. S., & Goldin, L. Elementary SchoolJournal, 95(4), 297-31 . (1995, May). 9 Prior Studies in the Field ...................... This bizarre result causes one tothing seriously about accepting the validity of the study findings. 17 Data Collection ................................. Child development today and tomorrow. A general semiotic function isheld to exist and to develop rapidly in humans prior to school age (Piaget,1962). 6 Definition of Key Terms ......................... SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, pp. 15 Research Design ................................. 3 Problem Statement ............................... Garasky, S. This research questionwill be as follows: Do student total reading and total mathematics scoreson the Stanford 9 Achievement Test vary in relation to student familystructure?Hypothesis One hypothesis will be tested. The criterion for the rejection of the null will be a findingof statistical significance at p<. Educational Leadership, 55(2), 8-13. Piaget's theory requires individualaccommodation to an existing system for comprehending the world, a processthat ultimately limits the sources of new knowledge. Occasionally, however, a group is discovered in whichnone of these factors explain students' academic performance. 83). Schoenberg, E. Adaptation occurs through the functioning of the mentalprocesses of assimilation and accommodation. Johnson, D., Johnson, R., Stevahn, L., & Hodne, P. Forehand, R., McCombs, A., Long, N., & Brody, G. The Stanford 9 test isadministered to all students in grades two through 11 in the State ofCalifornia. 14 3 - METHODOLOGY ..................................... Journal of Divorce, 12(2-3), 283-298. A sociocultural approach to mind. The research design will be neitherexperimental nor quasi-experimental in character because there will be nointervention designed to improve academic performance. Independent variable: The independent variable will bestudent family structure.
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