Academic achievement of single-parent students, 1985

The purpose of this study was to examine the interactive affects of home and school on the academic achievement of elementary and middle school students of single parentage in predominantly Black low income public schools. The basic thesis was that the academic success or failure of single-parent children in school is determined more by the interaction of other home and school factors than single parentage in and of itself. The sample consisted of 300 elementary and 300 middle school students who were randomly selected from five elementary and four middle low income predominantly Black inner-city public schools in Atlanta, Georgia, 444 of their parents 27 of their reading teachers, and their 9 principals. Data were collected with questionnaires. Student questionnaires measured home and school variables. Parent questionnaires measured home variables. Teacher and principal questionnaires measured school variables. Home variables investigated were: family size, sex of parent, parental interest, parental perception of of the school, type of single parentage, length of parental absence, age of child at initial absence of parent, parental reading habits, parental occupation, and significant other. School variables were school climate and learning environment. Data were statistically analyzed using factor analysis, correlation coefficients, multiple regression analysis and beta weights. Findings were that: 1. Academic achievement of students is not significantly affected by living in a single-parent household. 2. Home factors that significantly impact upon achievement of single parent students are: parental occupation, parental education, parental interest, parental perception of the school, length of single-parent status, and age of child at onset of single parentage. 3. Maturation significantly influences the affects of the selected home and school variables on the academic achievement of single-parent students. 4. The selected school variables did not significantly affect the academic achievement of single-parent students beyond the elementary level. It was concluded that academic success of single-parent students in school is determined more by the interaction of other home and school factors than by single parentage alone. Further, maturation affects the influence of the selected variables on achievement