Middle Socioeconomic Status Children Research Articles

Self Concept and Socio-Economic Status in Elementary School Children

In an earlier study which was part of a four year longitudinal investigation conducted under a large, federally funded Title III project,' it was found that children of low socio-economic status scored significantly higher than children of middle socio-economic status (Clark and Trowbridge, 1971; Trowbridge 1969, 1970a, 1970b) on a self concept instrument known as the Self Esteem Inventory (Coopersmith, 1967). The number of investigations of the relationship between self concept and socio-economic status (SES) has been increasing, but the relationship remains undetermined. Findings appear to be in conflict. A number of persons have postulated that children of low socio-economic status do actually reflect the negative image society holds of them (Ausubel and Ausubel, 1963; Erickson, 1963; Witty, 1967). Some investigations appear to support this thesis (Deutsch, 1960; Long and Henderson, 1968; Wylie, 1963), while others suggest no significant differences in self concept of children of different SES (Coleman, 1966; McDaniel, 1967; Scott, 1969). Studies by Clark and Trowbridge, 1971; Green and Rohwer, 1971; Soares and Soares, 1969, 1970; Trowbridge, 1969, 1970a, 1970b and Zirkel and Moses, 1971, indicate that by some criteria the self concept of low SES children may be even more positive than that of middle class children.

Effects of Motivational and Presentation Conditions on Digit Recall of Children of Differing Socioeconomic, Racial, and Intelligence Groups

Arthur Jensen (1968a, b) has summarized considerable evidence in support of a theoretical position which distinguishes between intelligence and basic learning abilities. Jensen describes basic learning ability as a different, more fundamental, psychological process than intelligence. Tests of basic learning ability are considered to depend relatively little on transfer from previous learning or upon verbal mediation processes; they are, therefore, presumed to be less sensitive to social or experiental conditions than are standard intelligence tests. Specifically, Jensen suggests that lower socioeconomic status (SES) children who test within an IQ range of 60-80 are better than middle SES children of comparable intelligence on certain tests of learning ability, such as memory for digits. He suggests further that low SES children of normal intelligence do not differ from middle SES children of normal intelligence in performance of such tasks. Despite impressive evidence describing performance of middle and low SES groups on serial and paired associate learning, several major considerations deserve attention before definitive generalizations