Crane, Jonathan
Effects of Home Environment, SES, and Maternal Test Scores on Mathematics Achievement
Journal of Educational Research 89,5 (May-June 1996): 305-314.
Also: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220671.1996.9941332
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: American Educational Research Association
Keyword(s): Children, Home Environment; Children, Preschool; Children, School-Age; Cognitive Ability; Family Background; Home Environment; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Mothers, Education; Socioeconomic Status (SES); Test Scores/Test theory/IRT;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Used data on 1,123 children (aged 5-9 yrs in 1988) and their mothers (aged 15-26 yrs old when children were born) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to assess the effects of home environment, SES, and maternal cognitive test scores (MTS) on mathematics achievement. Statistical analysis supported the following hypotheses: (1) home environment, SES, and MTS have independent effects on children's math scores, controlling for the other factors; (2) the 2-way relationship between MTS and children's math scores will be attenuated by controlling for home environment; (3) the 2-way relationship between MTS and children's math scores will be attenuated by controlling for SES; and (4) the 2-way relationship between SES and children's math scores will be attenuated by controlling for home environment. Home environment had a large effect on children's test scores, even when SES and MTS score controlled. The effects of SES and MTS were smaller. (PsycINFO Database Copyright 1 996 American Psychological Assn, all rights reserved)

Ricciuti, Henry N.
Single Parenthood, Achievement, and Problem Behavior in White, Black, and Hispanic Children
Journal of Educational Research 97,4 (2004): 196-206.
Also: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JOER.97.4.196-207
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: American Educational Research Association
Keyword(s): Achievement; Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Behavioral Problems; Hispanics; Marital Status; Parents, Single; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT); Racial Differences;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The author investigated whether adverse effects of single parenthood not observed in 6-7-year-old NLSY (National Longitudinal Study of Youth) children might emerge when they reached 12-13 years of age. Outcomes included mathematics, reading, vocabulary scores, and behavior problem ratings. Little or no evidence of systematic negative effects emerged at the later age except for some isolated findings in the Black sample that suggested that vocabulary scores were somewhat negatively influenced by years of single-parent experience and positively affected by extended 2-parent experience. The general absence of adverse effects, as well as the minimally significant relationships found in the Black sample, may be explained in terms of the role played by maternal education and ability. The findings suggest that the presence of positive maternal attitudes and parenting resources may significantly mitigate the likelihood of adverse child outcomes of single parenthood.