Tg. Halle et al., FAMILY INFLUENCES ON SCHOOL-ACHIEVEMENT IN LOW-INCOME, AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN, Journal of educational psychology, 89(3), 1997, pp. 527-537
The authors examined the achievement-related beliefs and behaviors of
parents of economically disadvantaged African American youth, and the
relations among parental factors and children's academic self-concept
and achievement. Forty-one children and their primary caregivers were
interviewed. Parents reported on their academic-related beliefs and be
haviors. Children completed measures of academic self-concept and 2 st
andardized achievement tests: 1 during the summer and 1 at the end of
the following school year. Significant and positive relations were fou
nd between parental belief and behavior measures within the domains of
reading and math; however, parental beliefs were more strongly linked
with child outcomes than were parents' achievement-oriented behaviors
. The relation between parental beliefs and child outcomes was not med
iated by children's academic self-concept. Results are discussed in li
ght of models of family influences on achievement.