1. The Influence of Community Schools on Child Behavior and Education at Home.
- Author
-
Kruiter, J. H.
- Abstract
Since 1995, community schools in the Netherlands have provided multiple interventions to improve student behavior and socioemotional functioning, improve the home educational environment, decrease risk behavior, decrease educational and physical disadvantages, and create opportunities for all children in a neighborhood. This study examined the influence of community schools on children's behavior and on their parents' pedagogical behavior, focusing on whether the influence of community schools varied for children with different socioeconomic backgrounds and for children who attended several activities compared to those who did not. Participating in the research were 74 families with 4-year-old children who attended community schools, lived in 4 problematic neighborhoods in Groningen, and completed measurements 3 times between 1998 and 2000. Findings indicated that 30 percent of the families did not attend the recreational, educational, or parental activities offered. More than 30 percent attended 2 or more activities per year. The percentage of participating families hardly changed between 1998 and 2000. A clear relationship between participation rates and child behavior or parent pedagogical behavior could not be identified. Kindergarten and first-grade teacher assessment of student behavior revealed no reductions in socioemotional problems. Most children did not show severe behavioral problems, according to parent ratings, but there were increases in depression over the three times of measurement. Children from immigrant populations showed a larger decrease in social problems than did children from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, and children from middle to high SES backgrounds showed an increase in social problems. (Contains 20 references and 7 tables.) (Author/KB)
- Published
- 2001