School of Public Health

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1633

The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

Note: Prior to July 1, 2007, the School of Public Health was named the College of Health & Human Performance.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

BLACK, MALE, AND HIGH-ACHIEVING: AN EXAMINATION OF A RISK FACTOR AND CULTURAL RESOURCES FOR BLACK MALE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
(2016) Davis, BreAnna; Smith Bynum, Mia; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Black boys are confronted with unique educational circumstances. They are often misdiagnosed and misplaced into special education programs (Bush-Daniels, 2008; Patton, 1998; Terman et al., 1996). Additionally, they are less likely to be enrolled in gifted and talented programs, even if their former achievements reflect their aptitude to succeed (Black Alliance for Educational Options, n.d.; Moore & Flowers, 2012). Given these statistics, a considerable emphasis has been placed on the causes and the consequences of low/under achievement for this population. As a result, the experiences of Black males who are achieving have been greatly neglected. Moreover, little is known about the factors that facilitate academic achievement among high-achieving Black boys. In an effort to bring the heterogenic nature of schooling experiences for Black boys to light, the present study examined the influence risk and protective factors had on the academic experiences of high-achieving Black boys. Grounded in the risk and resilience framework and the Integrative Model for the Study of Minority Youth Development, this study explored whether the high-achieving Black high school boys in this sample (n =88) reported experiencing discrimination (i.e. academic-based) and how this academic-based discrimination related to their 1) academic performance (i.e. GPA), 2) perceptions of math ability, and 3) race-based academic self-concept. In addition to exploring how academic-based discrimination was linked to academic achievement, this study examined how cultural resources such as racial socialization messages and racial identity related to academic achievement. Specifically, cultural socialization, preparation for bias, egalitarianism, private regard and public regard were evaluated alongside the three academic outcomes under study. Finally, the study explored whether aspects of racial socialization or racial identity buffered the effects of discrimination on any of the outcomes. Interestingly, the race/ethnicity of the student mattered for how students perceived their math ability. The risk factor academic-based discrimination was linked to academic performance. Cultural resources cultural socialization, preparation for bias, and private regard were linked to various academic outcomes of interest. There was only one significant moderating effect: a high private regard buffered the relationship between academic-based discrimination and race-based academic self-concept. Limitations and implications of this study are discussed.
THE HOME LITERACY ENVIRONMENT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT: ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL SKILLS OF CHILDREN IN IMMIGRANT FAMILIES
(2012) MOON, UI JEONG; Hofferth, Sandra L; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The home literacy environment has been shown to be crucial to young children's academic achievement and social skills. This study examines the longitudinal effects of home-based literacy related activities on children's academic achievement test scores and social skills from kindergarten up to 5th grade. To conduct this study, data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), provided by the U.S. Department of Education, were utilized. Children with at least one immigrant parent were categorized according to their mother's country of origin: South America, Mexico, Caribbean/Central America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, other countries, and the U.S. (with a foreign-born father). Using a latent difference score model, parental involvement and reading activity at home were linked to children's academic achievement test scores and social skills at kindergarten, along with changes in scores between each time point. Results of analyses suggest that boys benefit more from parents' involvement at home than do girls. Both boys' and girls' independent reading appear to be strongly linked to developing strong reading and math skills. More parental involvement and their independent reading benefited boys' self-control and interpersonal skills, but it did not have that benefit for girls. In addition, there were substantial differences in the effects of parental involvement and children's reading activity on children depending on mother's country of origin. The reading and math score of children of East Asian and Southeast Asian mothers benefited from their independent reading activity, whereas the scores of children of Latin-origin mothers benefited from both parental involvement at home and reading activity. For children of Mexican and Caribbean/Central American descent, especially, parental involvement had a continuing significant effect on math and reading scores up to 5th grade. Similarly, compared to other immigrant groups, the social skills of Latin American-origin boys were influenced more by parental involvement at home, and those of Southeast Asian-origin boys were influenced more by reading time at home.
The Impact of Parenting Practices and Early Childhood Curricula on Children's Academic Achievement and Social Competence
(2006-06-05) kessenich, anne; Hofferth, Sandra; Koblinsky, Sally; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Current research highlights the importance of early social competence for later academic success. Nevertheless, despite that documented importance, the emphasis in both policy and practice has been on academic achievement in early learning curricula. The proposed research had three objectives: 1) to understand how parenting behaviors toward children in kindergarten influence their academic achievement in third grade, 2) to understand how curriculum in kindergarten influences academic achievement in third grade, and 3) to ascertain whether social competence mediates the relationship between parenting factors in kindergarten and academic achievement in third grade and curriculum factors in kindergarten and academic achievement in the third grade. Data are drawn for the period 1998-2003 from an existing data set, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) and analyzed using multiple regression analyses. After controlling for background characteristics and academic achievement in kindergarten, these analyses revealed that the presence of spanking in kindergarten was significantly related to academic achievement in third grade. The presence of spanking in kindergarten was also related to children's learning related skills in third grade. Spanking and higher levels of warmth in kindergarten were related to children's interpersonal skills in third grade. Curriculum in kindergarten was unrelated to third grade academic achievement, social competence, and behavior problems. Social competence in third grade was related to academic achievement in third grade, while behavior problems were not. Finally, social competence mediated the relationship between spanking in kindergarten and academic achievement in third grade.