Beliefs and Achievement: A Study of Black, White, and Hispanic Children

Abstract

School achievement among black, white, and Hispanic elementary school children was investigated, and efforts were made to study the beliefs about academic achievement of the children and their mothers. A total of approximately 3,000 first, third, and fifth graders enrolled in 20 schools in the Chicago metropolitan area were given achievement tests in mathematics and reading. Black and Hispanic children performed at a significantly lower level than white children, but at fifth grade ethnic differences in mathematics scores were no longer significant when mothers' education was statistically controlled. This was not the case in reading, where differences were found after controlling for the effects of mothers' education. Interviews with subsamples of approximately 1,000 mothers and children revealed greater emphasis on and concern about education among minority families than among white families. Black and Hispanic children and mothers evaluated the children and their academic abilities highly; they were positive about education and held high expectations about the children's future prospects for education. Mothers of minority children and teachers in minority schools believed more strongly than white mothers and teachers in the value of homework, competency testing, and a longer school day as means of improving children's education.

A Review of the Relationship Among Parenting Practices, Parenting Styles, and Adolescent School Achievement

“…Researchers have found that African American and Hispanic parents place a high value on education, are concerned with educational issues, and have educational aspirations for their children that equal those of nonminority parents (De La Rosa and Maw, 1990;Stevenson et al, 1990;Wentzel, 1998). Despite these findings, recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Census (2004) indicates that a smaller percentage of African Americans and Hispanics attain a college degree than Caucasians.…”

“…A review of the research on parental socialization goals with respect to academic achievement, however, suggests that these goals do not vary dramatically by ethnicity (De La Rosa and Maw, 1990;Muller and Kerbow, 1993;Stevenson et al, 1990;Spera and Wentzel, in press;Wentzel, 1998). For example, Stevenson et al (1990) found that both nonminority and minority parents highly value school and have high aspirations for their children.…”

“…For example, Stevenson et al (1990) found that both nonminority and minority parents highly value school and have high aspirations for their children. In fact, Wentzel (1998) found that African American parents reported stronger achievement values and educational aspirations for their children than Caucasian parents.…”

Parental Expectations and Children's Academic Performance in Sociocultural Context

“…While Asian immigrant parents are often available to draw on educational and financial resources within their community, Latino immigrant parents are more often on their own when it comes to support their children's schooling (Zhou and Kim 2006). In one early study, Stevenson et al (1990) found that immigrant Latino mothers' sense of efficacy in helping their children with reading and mathematics in elementary school was significantly lower than that of European American and African American mothers. Non-immigrant Latino parents feel more confident about their children's chances for success than do those of the immigrant generation; for example, Hao and Bonstead-Burns (1998) found that immigrant Mexican parents had lower expectations for their eighth grader's future schooling than did Mexican-heritage parents born in the USA.…”

Family involvement for children with disruptive behaviors: The role of parenting stress and motivational beliefs

“…Parent efficacy for helping their children succeed in school has been shown to predict home-and school-based involvement (Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey, & Sandler, 2007;Walker et al, 2005), indicating that parents are more likely to be involved if they have the belief that their actions will improve learning and academic performance (Green et al, 2007;Grolnick et al, 1997;Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Brissie, 1992;Stevenson, Chen, & Uttal, 1990). In contrast, parents who view themselves as less able to effectively contribute to their child's education are more likely to refrain from participating in such activities.…”