Perceived ecological congruence across family/school environments: Impact on the consistency of behavioral patterns and adaptation among children and youth

Abstract

This research investigated the relationship of congruence between classroom and family environments as experienced by children and consistency of behavioral adaptation across these settings as reported by teachers and parents. Assessments of perceived family and classroom environments, self-reported psychological distress, and parent and teacher behavior ratings of a community sample of first-to sixth-grade youth (N = 297) were obtained. Factor analysis of children's ratings of perceived classroom climate yielded three underlying dimensions: cohesion, achievement emphasis, and organization. Similarly, analyses of children's ratings of perceived family climate yielded cohesion, achievement emphasis, and control factors. As expected, greater incongruity in children's reports of cohesion and in levels of achievement emphasis across settings was associated with greater divergence between parental and teacher ratings of behavioral adaptation. In addition, there was less agreement in parent and teacher reports of children's behavior when child reports of classroom cohesion and all three family dimensions diverged. Similarly, greater perceived divergence in family achievement emphasis and all three classroom dimensions yielded higher levels of disagreement in behavior ratings across settings. Psychological distress was generally not associated with greater environmental incongruence. Thus, experiences of differential climate across settings appeared to be linked with patterns of situationally specific behavioral adaptation, rather than more global distress. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.