This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the origiral or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer.The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely aff^ reproduction.In the unlikely event that the author dkl not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion.Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original. t)eginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overiaps.Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6' x 9' t>lack and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Edwards, 1998). The findings of previous research have been mixed as to the academic achievement and school behavior of students being raised by grandparents (Marx & Solomon, 1993; Pruchno, 1999;.Fifty-seven volunteer caregiver-child pairings participated in this study. Thirty-one grandparent &milies formed the experimental group. The comparison groups consisted of 14 single-parent and 12 two-parent &milies.The current study is unique in several ways. The children were tested individually, either in their homes or in the researcher's office, using standardized measures both for academic achievement (Wide Range Achievement Test 3), and for school behavior (Devereux Behavior Rating Scale-School Form). The Kaufinan Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) was used to control for the intellectual level of the children. The children's teachers rated their classroom behavior. The findings were compared across three family structures:children raised by grandparents, by single parents, and by two parents; and also across three ethnic groups: Black, Hispanic, and White.Using a questionnaire designed by the researcher that was based on the literature, together with the standardized measiires, this study sought to examine: (1) the differences in school performance related to &mify structure; (2) the differences in school performance related to grandparent ethnicity; (3) the relationship between school performance and the conditions and circumstances surrounding grandparent involvement;(4) the differences in fiunily relationship across three &mily structures; and (5) the relationship between school performance and &mily relationship. 10No significant differences in school performance were observed related to either &mily structure or to grandparent ethnicity. Several significant differences were found in family relationship ac...

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