MATERNAL ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SCHOOL AND THE ROLE OF PUPIL, SOME SOCIAL CLASS COMPARISONS.

A 4-YEAR RESEARCH STUDY HAS INDICATED THAT A MOTHER'S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SCHOOL INFLUENCES THE YOUNG CHILD'S SCHOOL BEHAVIOR AND HIS ABILITY TO DEAL WITH ADULTS AND PERFORM COGNITIVE TASKS. THE SAMPLE POPULATION FOR THE STUDY WAS MADE UP OF 1,963 NEGRO MOTHERS OF 4-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN FROM ONE MIDDLE-CLASS AND FROM THREE LOWER-CLASS GROUPS--UPPER-LOWER, LOWER-LOWER, AND LOWER-LOWER RECEIVING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. DATA ON THE MOTHERS AND THE HOME ENVIRONMENTS WERE GATHERED FROM INTERVIEWS, INTELLIGENCE TESTS, AND "INTERACTION SESSIONS" DURING WHICH THE MOTHER WAS REQUIRED TO TEACH THE CHILD THREE SIMPLE TASKS WHICH SHE HAD SPECIFICALLY BEEN TAUGHT. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT MOTHERS IN THE THREE LOWER-CLASS GROUPS INFLUENCE THE CHILD'S ATTITUDES TOWARDS SCHOOL BY STRESSING THAT HE BEHAVE AND LISTEN TO THE TEACHER. THUS THE LOWER CLASS CHILD COMES TO REGARD SCHOOL AS AN AUTHORITARIAN INSTITUTION RATHER THAN AS A PLACE FOR LEARNING. MOTHERS IN THE TWO LOWEST-CLASS GROUPS EXPRESSED FEELINGS OF POWERLESSNESS IN RELATION TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THEIR CHILD'S BEHAVIOR, WHICH TENDED TO INHIBIT THE CHILD'S INITIATORY BEHAVIOR IN A TESTING SITUATION, HIS QUICKNESS OF RESPONSE, AND HIS SOCIAL CONFIDENCE WITH AN ADULT EXAMINER. IN GENERAL, MIDDLE CLASS MOTHERS HAD MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS THEIR CHILD AND THE SCHOOL AND WERE MORE SENSITIVE TO THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF THEIR CHILD'S EARLY SCHOOL EXPERIENCES. THIS PAPER WAS PREPARED FOR THE FIFTH WORK CONFERENCE ON CURRICULUM AND TEACHING IN DEPRESSED URBAN AREAS HELD AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, JUNE 20-JULY 1, 1966. (DK)