Affects of Low Socio-economic Status in Children Essay

Socio-economic status remains a theme of great interest to those who study children’s development. This interest derives from a belief that high socio-economic status families pay for their children an array of services, goods, parental actions, and social connections that potentially redound to the benefit of children and a concern that many low socio-economic status children lack access to those same resources and experiences, thus putting them at risk for developmental problems (Briscoe, 1994). The interest in socio-economic status as a worldwide construct persists despite evidence that there is wide inconsistency in what children experience within every socio-economic status level, despite evidence that the link between socio-economic status and child well-being varies as a function of geography, and culture, and despite evidence that the relation between socio-economic status and child well-being can be disrupted by catastrophes and internal strife (Bornstein, Hahn, Suwalsky & Haynes, 2003, p. 45). The major factor that affects child development is the socio-economic status. It is an indicator of a person’s social and economic standing, measured through a combination of income, level of education, residency, occupation, and social status in the community (Briscoe, 1994). Families with a high socio-economic status often have more success because they typically have more access to more resources to improve their child’s development (Bornstein, Hahn, Suwalsky & Haynes, 2003, p. 54). They are able to afford high-quality child care and books that would encourage children to learn. Children from low socio-economic status families lack the financial, educational and social support they need to be considered equivalent to children from high socio-economic status families. These differences can cause a child to become unconfident, non-motivated, and even isolation from society. It is a problem that could stay with the child through adolescences and on into adulthood (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002). It is only as an adult that the person has the independence and the ability to change his socio-economic status. He makes the choice of where to live, what job to pursue, how he fits in society; becoming his own person but a child can not (Bornstein, Hahn, Suwalsky & Haynes, 2003, p. 223). Family’s Influence on a Child’s Educational Success The family is a key element in every person’s life. They have the greatest impact on a child’s socialization and their development. Socialization is a learned behavior that remains with a human being his entire life. Family influences nearly every aspect of children’s life, most significantly, their education. Increasing evidence indicates that schools are not solely responsible for promoting our children’s academics and success; rather, families must be engaged in helping youths develop the understanding and skills they need to function in tomorrow’s workplace (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002). Therefore, the question is not whether parents influence education, but rather how and to what degree they do. A variety of explanations exist, including the size of the family, the parenting techniques, and the family’s economic status. Three major constructs are believed to be parents’ basic involvement decisions. First, a parents’ role construction defines parents’ viewpoint about what they are supposed to do in their children’s education and appears to set up the basic range of actions that parents construe as important, necessary, and permissible for their own actions with and on behalf of children. Second, parents’ sense of efficacy for helping their children succeed in school focuses on the degree to which parents believe that through their contribution, they can exert positive influence on their children’s educational outcomes. Third, general invitations, demands, and opportunities for involvement refer to parents’ opinion that the child and school want them to be involved (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002). However, even well-designed school programs welcoming involvement will meet with only limited success if they do not address issues of parental role construction and parental sense of efficacy for helping children succeed in their schools. Academic Attainment and Low Socio-economic Status For over 70 years findings on the relationship between socio-economic status and intellectual/ academic competence has accumulated. The association between socio-economic status and cognitive performance begins in infancy. Numerous studies have documented that poverty and low parental education are associated with lower levels of school achievement and IQ later in childhood (Bornstein, Hahn, Suwalsky & Haynes, 2003, p. 103+). There has been some debate regarding which aspects of socio-economic status most strongly connect to cognitive development. Each socio-economic status measure used in the Health Examination Survey (family income, maternal education, paternal education) highlighted intellectual attainment, with education being the best predictor. Maternal education was a stronger predictor than paternal education. Maternal and paternal education is good predictor. Socio-economic status accounts for about 5% of the variance in academic achievement. Among the traditional measures of socio-economic status, family income accounts for the greatest amount of variance. In a recent study, it has been found that each socio-economic status indicator (income, education, occupation) was associated with better parenting, which in turn affected school achievement via skill-building activities and school behavior. Evidence suggests a particularly strong relation between socio-economic status and verbal skills. Major differences were found in the language proficiency of children from high socio-economic status and low socio-economic status families. The relation between socio-economic status and cognitive attainment may be quite complex, with different components of socio-economic status contributing to the development of particular cognitive skills in different ways and with some components of socio-economic status serving to moderate the effects of other components. Several analyses have indicated that the relations for family income and parental education depend on the number of siblings present in the household (Bornstein, Hahn, Suwalsky & Haynes, 2003, p. 34). The affect of Socio-economic status and intellectual/academic attainment diminishes with age. However, the effects of family income on achievement among 7-year-olds are similar to the effects on intelligence for 3-year-olds. Socio-economic status also appears to affect school attendance and number of years of schooling completed. The impact on years completed appears to be less than the impact on school achievement. Even so, socio-economic status remains one of the most consistent predictors of early high school dropout, with evidence suggesting that it is connected both to low parental expectations and to early initiation of sexual activity (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002). Students from lower-income families suffer further disadvantages as well. Economic hardship and stress have been known to affect the relationship between the parent and child. If the socio-economic status of the student is low, the amount of parental support, control, and consistency is usually low as well. Adolescents from intact families have been found to be more optimistic and confident about the future than those from homes in which there has been a separation, divorce, or parental death. References Bornstein, M. H. & Bradley, R. H. (Eds. ). (2003). Socioeconomic Status, Parenting, and Child Development. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Bradley, R. H. , & Corwyn, R. F. (2002). Socioeconomic Status and Child Development. 371+. Briscoe, J. (1994, December). The Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect. Corrections Today, 56, 26+. Education Is Critical to Closing the Socioeconomic Gap. (2003, February). World and I, 18, 18. Ellis, L. (Ed. ). (1994). Social Stratification and Socioeconomic Inequality (Vol. 2). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.