| Pamela Theroux
Teachers College, Columbia University
Parent involvement and adolescent achievement: Defeated by divorce?
FINAL REPORT:
Though a positive associative link has been established between parent involvement and student outcomes, current research on sustaining that involvement through family disruption is needed to reveal the relationships, the characteristics and the conditions under which parents, students and schools interact during these crucial transition years. Parental and child response to family transition varies according to the circumstances, but evidence suggests children who experience family disruption (the dismantling through divorce or the rebuilding through remarriage) remain at risk for difficulties in school performance. The objectives of this study are to investigate the disruptive patterns of changing family structure and how these relate to student performance and parent involvement. In revealing family contextual circumstances, indices of parental involvement, family household and marital status and student performance can be developed using the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988. A panel student cohort extending across the waves of NELS:88 data will be used to retrospectively analyze the effects of family disruption on student performance and on parent involvement as experienced over time.
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