The Effects of Single Parenting on the Literacy Achievement of African-American students

1

The Effects of Single Parenting
on the Literacy Achievement of African-American
students

• By Stephanie Bryant

2
Table of Contents

• Introduction 3
• Statement of the Problem 4
• Review of the Literature 5
• Statement of the Hypothesis 10
• Methods 11
• Instruments 11
• Experimental Design
• Procedure
• References 13
• Appendices 18

3
Introduction

• There is a vast increase in the number of single
  parent households.
• This change can be accredited to the many
  factors.
• Single parent households are especially prevalent
  in the African-American community.

4
Statement of the Problem

• Children from single parent households are faced
  with extra burdens that children from two-parent
  households do not have to face. In an effort to
  alleviate these stresses, adjustments need to be
  made.

5
Review of Related Literature

• Single Parent Households Do Affect Student
  Achievement
• Pros Parents who are involved in their students
  academic career help to increase the students
  academic achievement
• Epstein Dauber (1991) Zellman Waterman
  (1998) Hawes Plourde (2000) Senechal
  LeFevre (2002, March-April) Ricciuth (2004,
  March/April) England, Luckner, Whaley, Egeland
  (2004) Amato (2005) Driessen, Smit, Sleegers
  (2005, August) Jeynes (2005, Summer)
  Houtenville Conway (2008).

6
Review of Literature contd

• Single Parent Households Do Not Affect Student
  Achievement
• Cons Single parent households do not play a role
  in students academic achievement, but other
  factors such as students motivational level play
  a role in students academic achievement
• Iverson, Brownlee, Walberg (1981) Dominia
  (2005, July) Debell (2008) Sojourner Kushner
  (1997).

7
Current Educational Strategies

• There are some strategies being implemented in
  schools to help single parent households increase
  the academic achievement of their children. These
  include
• Training parents on how to conduct reading
  instruction at home (Faires, Nichols, Ricklman,
  2000).

8
Current Education Strategies contd

• Having teachers implement strategies such as
• maintaining a positive relationship with
  parents.
• having active parents spread the word to other
  parents to alleviate the educational barrier that
  African-American parents when dealing with their
  childs teacher (Neuman, Hagedorn, Celano,
  Daly, 1995 Trotman, 2001) .
• Having schools implement strategies that
• exhibit themes of empowerment, outreach, and
  indigenous resources (Abdul-Adil Farmer Jr.
  2006) .

9
Parental Involvement Theorists

• Epstein
• Six types of Parental Involvement
• Walberg
• Parents and Schools need to Cooperate
• Hoover-Dempsey
• Defined at-home and in-school involvement

10
Statement of Hypothesis

• HR1
• Implementing the shared reading strategy with
  twenty-two African-American third-grade students
  from non-intact (single) parent households over a
  six week period will help students at P.S. X will
  increase their reading and writing achievement on
  the practice New York State English Language Arts
  Examination.

11
Method

• Participants (N)
• Twenty-five third students
• Twenty-two African American
• Three Latino American
• Thirteen African American students from
  non-intact households
• Working Class Families
• Public School in Brooklyn, NY

12
Method contd

• Instrument (s)
• Demographic Survey
• Literacy Surveys
• Student and Parent
• New York State English Language Arts practice
  Exams
• Experimental Design
• Procedure

13
References

• Abdul-Adil J. K., Farmer Jr., A. D. (2006).
  Inner-city african-american parental
• involvement in elementary schools Getting
  beyond urban legends of apathy.
• Retrieved September 18, 2009 from ERIC
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• Amato, P. (2005). The impact of family formation
  change on the cognitive, social,
• and emotional well-being of the next
  generation. Retrieved on October 3, 2009 from
• ERIC database. (ERIC Document Reproduction
  Service No. EJ795852).
• Battle, J. Coates, D. L. (2004, Autumn).
  Father-only and mother only, single-parent
• family status of black girls and achievement
  in grade twelve and at two-years post high
• school. The Journal of Negro Education, 73
  (4), 392-407. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from
  http//www.jstor.org/stable/4129624.
• Baumann, J.E., Thomas, D. (1997, October). If
  you can pass mommas tests then she
• knows youre getting your education A case
  study of support for literacy learning
• within an african american family. The
  Reading Teacher, 51(2), 108-120.
• Retrieved September 25, 2009, from Education
  Full Text database.
• Berendt, P. R., Koski, B. (1999, March). No
  shortcuts to success. Retrieved September 18,
  2009 from ERIC database. (ERIC Document
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• Brandt, Ron. (1989). On parents and schools A
  conversation with joyce epstein.
• Educational Leadership, 24-27. Retrieved
  November 6, 2009 from Education Full Text
  Database.
• Brody, G.H . Flor, D. L. (1998, June). Maternal
  resources, parenting practices, and
• child competence n rural, single-parent
  african american families. Child Development,
• 69 (3), 803-816. Retrieved October 21, 2009,
  from

14
References contd

• DeBell, M. (2008). Children living without their
  fathers Population estimates and
• indicators of educational well-being. Social
  Indicators Research, 87(3), 427-443.
• Retrieved October 3, 2009 from Education Full
  Text database.
• Dominia, T. (2005, July). Leveling the home
  advantage Assessing the effectiveness of
• parental involvement in elementary schools.
  The Reading Teacher, 51(2), 108-120.
• Retrieved September 25, 2009, from Education
  Full Text database.
• Driessen, G., Smit, F. Sleegers, P. (2005,
  August). Parental involvement and
• educational achievement. Taylor Francis,
  Ltd., 31 (4), 509-532.
• Retrieved September 25, 2009,
  fromhttp//www.jstor.org/stable/30032581.
• England, M. M., Luckner, A. E., Whaley, G. J. L.
  Egeland, B. (2004). Childrens achievement in
  early elementary school Longitudinal effects of
  parental involvement, expectations, and quality
  of assistance. Retrieved September 17, 2009 from
  ERIC database. (ERIC Document Reproduction
  Service No. EJ685033).
• Epstein, J. L. Dauber, S. L. (1991). School
  programs and teacher practices of parent
  involvement in inner-city elementary and middle
  students. Elementary School Journal, 91(3), 289-
  305. Retrieved October 26,2009 from Education
  Research Complete database.
• Faires, J., Nichols, W. D., Ricklman, R. J.
  (2000). Effects of parental involvement in
  developing competent readers in first grade.
  Retrieved October 5, 2009 from ERIC database.
  (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
  EJ614440).
• Flowers, L. A. (2007). Recommendations for
  research to improve reading achievement in
• african american students. Reading
  Research Quarterly, 42(3), 424-428. Retrieved
  October 21, 2009 from Wilson Full Text database.

15
References contd

• Gonzalez-DeHass, A.,Willems, P. P., Holbein, M.
  F. D. (2005, June). Examining the
• relationship between parental involvement and
  student motivation. Retrieved
• September 17, 2009 from ERIC database. (ERIC
  Document Reproduction Service No.EJ732429).
• Hawes,C. A., Plourde, L. A. (2000). Parental
  involvement and its influence on the
• reading achievement of 6th grade students.
  Reading Improvement, 47-57. Retrieved September
  25, 2009 from Education Full Text database.
• Houtnville, A. J., Conway, K. S. (2008).
  Parental involvement, school resources and
  student achievement. Retrieved September 18, 2009
  from ERIC database. (ERIC Document Reproduction
  Service No. EJ792701).
• Jeynes, W. H. (2005, Summer). The effects of
  parental involvement on the academic achievement
  of african-american youth. The Journal of Negro
  Education, 74(3), 260-274. Retrieved September
  25, 2009, from http//www.jstor.org/stable/4002743
  2.
• Iverson, B. K., Brownlee, G. D., Walberg, H.J.
  (1981). Parent-teacher contacts and student
  learning. Retrieved November 6, 2009, from
  http//www.jstor.org/stable/27539847.
• Neuman, S. B., Hagedorn, T., Celano, D., Daly,
  P. (1995, Winter). Toward a collaborative
  approach to parent involvement in early
  education A study of teenage mothers in an
  african-american community. Retrieved October 26,
  2009, from http//www.jstor.org/stable/1163336.

16
References contd

• Ricciuth, H. N. (2004, March/April). Single
  parenthood, achievement, and problem
• behavior in white, black, and hispanic
  children. Retrieved September 18, 2009 from ERIC
  database. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
  EJ698473).
• Senechal, M., LeFevre, J. (2002, March-April).
  Parental involvement in the development of
  childrens reading skills A five year
  longitudinal study. Blackwell Publishing, 73(2),
  445-460. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from
• http//www.jstor.org/stable/3696368.
• Sojourner, J., Kushner, S.N. (1997, March).
  Variables that impact the education of african
  american students Parental involvement,
  religious socialization, socioeconomic status,
  self-concept, and gender. Retrieved November 9,
  2009 from ERIC database (ERIC Document
  Reproduction Service No. ED410326).
• Sun, Y., Li, Y. (2007). Racial and ethnic
  differences in experiencing parents' marital
  disruption during late adolescence. Retrieved
  October 3, 2009 from ERIC database. (ERIC
  Document Reproduction Service No. EJ698473).
• Trotman, M.F. (2001, Autumn). Involving the
  african american parent Recommendations to
  increase level of parent involvement in african
  American Families. The Journal of Negro
  Education, (70), 275-285. Retrieved September
  21.2009 from, http//www.jstor.org/stable/3211280.
  
• Walberg, H. J. (1984). Families as partners in
  educational productivity. The Phi Delta Kappan,
  65(6), 397-400. Retrieved November 9, 2009 from,
  http//www.jstor.org/stable/20387056.
• Zellman, G. L., Waterman, J. M. (1998).
  Understanding the impact of parent school
  involvement on childrens educational outcomes.
  Retrieved October 3, 2009 from ERIC database.
  (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
  EJ571135).

17
Appendix A

• Consent form
• Dear Principal ,My name is Stephanie Bryant and
  I am a graduate student in the Elementary
  Education department at Brooklyn College. I am
  currently completing my action research project
  on The Effects of Single Parent Households on
  Literacy Achievement. I am writing requesting
  permission to use a classroom of your students in
  the third-grade to test the effectiveness of my
  research project. With your permission, the
  students from single parent households will be
  read to utilizing the shared reading approach in
  addition to the Balanced Literacy program that
  occurs during the day. I believe that the
  additional reading that these children will be
  exposed to will help to increase their overall
  literacy skills. It is very important that you
  understand that under no circumstances will the
  name of your school as well as the children's
  names be released. All data and information will
  remain completely confidential. Thank you so much
  for considering my research project and I look
  forward to hearing from you soon.Sincerely,Ste
  phanie Bryant

18
Appendix BDemographic Survey

• Directions Please select one of the numbers
  below that best answers the question and place
  your response on the space provided to the right.
• Gender (1) Male or (2)Female
  ____
• Age Range (1) 8-10 yrs. (2) 11-13 yrs.
  (3)18-23yrs.
• (4) 24-30yrs. (5) 31-37 yrs. (6)
  38-44yrs (7) 45yrs.
  ____
• Education Level (1) Some High School (2)
  Finished High School ____
• (3) Some College (4) Finished
  College
• (5) Graduate School (6) Post Graduate
• Parental Situation (1) Intact Household
  (2) Non-Intact Household ____
• Racial Background (1) Caucasian (2) Hispanic
  ____
• (3) African-American (4) Asian (5) Other
• (6) Mixed Heritage

19
Appendix CParent Survey

• Directions Please select one of the numbers
  below that best answers the question and place
  your response on the space provided to the right.
• 1 Strongly Agree 2 Agree 3 Disagree 4
  Strongly Disagree
• I help my child with his homework every night.
  ______
• I have a good relationship with my childs
  teacher. ______
• I am a currently a member of the Parent Teacher
  Association. ______
• I assist my child with his homework at least
  three nights a week. ______
• My child does well in school because of my help.
  ______
• I assist my child with school work only when
  asked. ______
• I am satisfied when my child does his best in
  school. ______
• I read to my child every night. ______
• I always attend school functions such as Open
  House ______
• at my childs school.
• I read with my child at least three nights a
  week. ______

20
Appendix D Student Survey

• Directions Please select one of the numbers
  below that best answers the question and place
  your response on the space provided to the right.
• 1 Strongly Agree 2 Agree 3 Disagree 4
  Strongly Disagree
• I read every day. ______
• I read independently for 30 minutes everyday.
  ______
• I read independently an hour everyday. ______
• I write everyday. ______
• I write outside of school three times a week.
  ______
• I write outside of school 30 minutes everyday.
  ______
• I always understand what I am reading.
  ______
• I understand more than half of what I am reading.
  ______
• I enjoy writing. ______
• I always ask for help if I do not understand what
  I am reading. ______