Low Socioeconomic Status Families Research Articles

Poor air quality at school and educational inequality by family socioeconomic status in Italy

This paper investigates social stratification in the context of poor air quality's impact on educational achievement in Italy, a country characterized by high levels of air pollution and significant geographical diversity. We address two primary questions: firstly, whether students from different socio-economic backgrounds vary in their exposure to high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) at school, and secondly, if the effect of exposure to poor air quality on academic performance differs between children from high and low socio-economic status families. Utilizing a novel dataset comprising test scores in math and reading for 456,508 8th-grade students, collected nationally in Italy in 2019, we geocode the locations of 6882 schools based on their addresses and link the level of air pollution in the surrounding areas using PM2.5 data from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group. To address potential confounding factors, we estimate municipality and province fixed effects and control for indicators of school neighborhood characteristics and school quality. Our analysis yields three key findings. Firstly, students from higher socio-economic backgrounds tend to attend schools with higher PM2.5 levels. However, the positive association between SES and exposure to PM2.5 disappears when adding province and municipality fixed effects, suggesting that the positive association can be explained by selection into provinces and municipalities by SES. Secondly, we identify a small yet consistent negative effect of PM2.5 on math and reading test scores. Thirdly, this adverse impact is primarily observed among students from low socio-economic backgrounds. We conclude that the relationship between environmental risks and disparities in educational achievement based on social background in Italy is nuanced and critically influenced by the country's specific context.

Child abuse and resilience influence belief in a just world: A moderated mediation model

This study explored the relationship between child abuse and belief in a just world (BJW), as well as the mediating role of resilience and the moderating effect of family socioeconomic status (SES). We randomly recruited 514 children from Jiangsu Province, China. The results of a moderated mediation analysis showed that child abuse significantly and negatively predicted BJW. Further, resilience played a mediating role between child abuse and BJW, while SES positively moderated the relationship between resilience and BJW. Compared to those with lower SES, abused children from a higher SES status background had more resilience to improve their BJW. The findings could be helpful for the child welfare system and for social workers to support abused children, especially those from low SES families, to achieve better adaptation and development.

Perceived Social Mobility and Smartphone Dependence in University Students: The Roles of Hope and Family Socioeconomic Status.

Drawing upon the cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use (PIU) and tunnel effect, this study aimed to construct a moderated mediation model from the perspective of social ecology. Specifically, the model investigated the relationship between perceived social mobility and smartphone dependence, with a focus on the mediating role of hope and the moderating effect of family socioeconomic status (SES) underlying this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 718 Chinese university students (Mage = 19.19, 70.2% female) from Beijing, Henan, and Tianjin, who anonymously filled out the Perceptions of Socioeconomic Mobility Scale, Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale, Openness to the Future Scale, and family socioeconomic status questionnaire. Preliminary data analysis was executed using SPSS 22.0, and the moderated mediation effect was tested using the latent moderated structural equations approach in Mplus 8.3. The results showed that (a) less perceived social mobility was linked with greater smartphone dependence; (b) hope mediated the aforementioned relationship; and (c) family SES moderated the first-stage path of the indirect effect through hope. For university students with low (rather than high) family SES, their level of hope increased with the improvement of perceived social mobility, and in turn, that of smartphone dependence decreased. These findings suggest that positive perceptions of upward social class mobility and hopeful attitudes toward future opportunities and personal development among disadvantaged university students may alleviate their reliance on smartphones. Researchers and policymakers should pay attention to the role of individuals' perceptions of the macro environment in motivating specific risky behaviors among university students. Future interventions are essential to mitigate pessimistic environmental perceptions and foster a sense of hope among university students.

Neighbourhood safety and academic performance: the role of student gender and family socioeconomic status

Introduction. Neighbourhood safety is directly linked to the level of disadvantage in the area of residence. Aim. The present research aimed to examine the impact of neighbourhood safety on the academic performance of secondary school students, taking into account gender and socioeconomic background. Methodology and research methods. The current study used a quantitative cross-sectional study design. Data were collected from 448 secondary school students on a voluntary basis. Chi-square and Kendall’s Tau-c (Tc) tests were used to analyse the data and determine the relationship and strength of direction between variables. Results. The findings indicated a significant and positive association between children’s academic performance and neighbourhood crime safety (P < 0.05, Tc = 0.202), as well as feeling safe, walking in the neighbourhood during the day or night (P < 0.05, Tc = 0.127). However, bullying and harassment in the neighbourhood were found to be significantly and negatively associated with academic performance (P > 0.05, Tc = -0.053). When introducing family socioeconomic status as a control variable, the results indicated variation in academic performance in relation to neighbourhood safety. When controlling for student gender, neighbourhood safety had no different effects on academic performance. The findings showed that, in relation to neighbourhood safety, children from families with higher socioeconomic status academically outperform children from lower socioeconomic status families. Scientific novelty. The study not only focused on the connection between neighbourhood safety and academic performance but was also unique in the sense that it also dealt with differences in academic performance based on gender and family socioeconomic level. Practical significance. The study produces a number of interesting conclusions and makes valuable recommendations for significant stakeholders. The primary study recommendations aim is to create a secure, supportive, and protective neighbourhood environment by enforcing the law and encouraging community involvement in order to reduce the threat of crime, violence, and harassment.

Age at peak height velocity in Polish adolescents: Effect of socioeconomic factors.

Age at peak height velocity (APHV) is an indicator of maturity timing which is applicable to both sexes, and which is influenced by environmental factors. The objective of this study was to assess variation in APHV associated with several indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) in a longitudinal sample of Polish adolescents. The sample included 739 boys born in 1983 and followed annually from 12 to 16 years, and 597 girls born in 1985 and followed annually from 9 to 13 years. The height records were fitted with the SITAR model to estimate APHV. SES was estimated using principal component analysis of indicators of familial status based on parental education, family size, living conditions and household possessions. Statistical analyses included analysis of variance (one-way for general SES and three-way for parental education and family size) and Tukey post-hoc tests for unequal samples. General SES (p <.001) and family size (p < .05) significantly influenced APHV among boys, while only maternal education (p < .05) significantly influenced APHV among girls. Among youth from families of higher SES, as defined by the respective indicators, APHV was attained significantly earlier, on average, than in peers from families of lower SES. Overall, the results showed a sex-dependent effect of SES on APHV, and highlighted the influence of favorable socioeconomic conditions for optimal growth and maturation during adolescence.

Do school grades matter for growing up? Testing the predictive validity of school performance for outcomes in emerging adulthood.

In putatively meritocratic societies, doing well in school is a pivotal precondition for accessing further and higher education, which, in turn, has a pervasive, long-term influence on adulthood development. Yet, doing well in school may also predict "real-life success" outside formal education settings and independent of the educational qualifications that a person attains. Such predictions are likely to become salient during emerging adulthood, a life period characterized by career explorations and social-emotional adjustment. Here, we tested the predictive validity of end-of-compulsory school grades at age 16 years in a U.K.-representative population cohort sample of up to N = 6,488, who were born between 1994 and 1996, for a broad range of occupational, financial, and social-emotional outcomes at age 23. End-of-compulsory school performance accounted for 1%-20% of the variance across occupational, financial, and social-emotional outcomes in emerging adulthood. Educational attainment attenuated these associations only slightly, with school grades at age 16 accounting for variance in emerging adulthood outcomes independent of later educational attainment. We found that school grades were equally predictive for boys' and girls' outcomes. In children from lower family socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, school grades were more predictive of their educational attainment, financial attitudes, and anxiety compared to higher SES children, with varying effect sizes (i.e., 0.3%-4.2%). Our findings suggest that school-leaving grades facilitate the successful transition from adolescence to adulthood, independent of educational attainment, and that they might enable children from low-SES families to compensate for some of their background disadvantages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The association between family socioeconomic status and suicide ideation among adolescent: A conditional process model

Traditionally, most researchers believe that low family socioeconomic status (SES) is closely related to high suicide ideation, but this view remains controversial in empirical studies. Meanwhile, less is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. Moreover, previous studies on the relationship between family SES and suicide ideation have mostly focused on adults rather than adolescents and relatively lacked support from Chinese samples. Therefore, this study is based on the integrated motivational–volitional model of suicide behaviour and the context-process-outcomes model, aiming to determine whether and how family SES is associated with adolescents’ suicide ideation and to evaluate the chain-mediating effect of effortful control and irritability, as well as the moderating effect of future orientation on this association. Data were extracted from 1058 girls and 855 boys, aged 11 to 19 years (14.86 ± 1.61 years), who completed a self-reported online survey. Descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test, bivariate correlations, and regression analysis were performed using IBM SPSS version 25. The conditional process model (CPM) was examined using SPSS PROCESS Macro 4.0. The results showed that there were differences in some demographic factors and the main study variables between adolescents with and without suicide ideation. In addition, the results suggested that family SES was not directly related to suicide ideation in adolescents, but it could indirectly effect suicide ideation through the chain-mediating effect of effortful control and irritability. Furthermore, future orientation moderated the relationship between irritability and suicide ideation. These findings provide evidence for current debates and conflicting conclusions, reveal the effect mechanism of family SES on suicide ideation, and add to empirical support for the prevention and intervention of adolescent suicide ideation.

Families’ experiences of accessing intervention for their children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in Malaysia: a systematic review

Objectives This study aims to systematically review available evidence on families’ experiences of accessing interventions for their child with neurodevelopmental disabilities in Malaysia. Methods This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, was conducted on seven databases, targeting studies in both English and Malay. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool was used to evaluate risk of bias. Results Nineteen studies were included. Findings highlighted a lack of parental knowledge and awareness about neurodevelopmental conditions. Families also faced limited capacity in publicly funded services, high cost of private interventions, and access restrictions due to geographical location. Families of low socioeconomic status and those residing in rural areas were particularly affected. Conclusions The evidence presented emphasises the crucial need for improving national policies and expanding intervention facilities. Future research needs to investigate neurodevelopmental disorders beyond autism and should also seek input from other stakeholders.

The influence of socio-economic status on child temperament and psychological symptom profiles.

The influence of socio-economic status (SES) on child temperament and psychological symptoms was examined using a nationally representative sample in Singapore. Data were available for 2169 children from 1987 families. Caregivers' reports were obtained on children aged 4-6. SES was operationalized as an aggregation of household income per capita, parental education level and housing type. Compared to their counterparts from higher SES families, children from low-SES families tended to exhibit (a) higher negative affectivity but lower effortful control, and (b) higher internalizing and externalizing symptoms. In addition, children with a 'resilient' temperamental profile (i.e. low negative affectivity and high effortful control) were more likely to come from families with much higher SES, relative to children with other profiles. Children with high internalizing symptoms tended to come from low-SES backgrounds, regardless of their externalizing symptoms. Among children with low internalizing symptoms, those with high externalizing symptoms came from lower SES backgrounds compared to those with low externalizing symptoms. Parental warmth and distress mediated the association between SES and child temperament and symptom profiles, with the exception of distress in the SES-temperament link. These findings supported the family stress model and highlighted the novel perspective of SES's influence on configurations of child temperament and symptom characteristics.

Psychopathology as long-term sequelae of maltreatment and socioeconomic disadvantage: Neurocognitive development perspectives.

Neuroscience research underscores the critical impact of adverse experiences on brain development. Yet, there is limited understanding of the specific pathways linking adverse experiences to accelerated or delayed brain development and their ultimate contributions to psychopathology. Here, we present new longitudinal data demonstrating that neurocognitive functioning during adolescence, as affected by adverse experiences, predicts psychopathology during young adulthood. The sample included 167 participants (52% male) assessed in adolescence and young adulthood. Adverse experiences were measured by early maltreatment experiences and low family socioeconomic status. Cognitive control was assessed by neural activation and behavioral performance during the Multi-Source Interference Task. Psychopathology was measured by self-reported internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. Results indicated that higher maltreatment predicted heightened frontoparietal activation during cognitive control, indicating delayed neurodevelopment, which, in turn predicted higher internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. Furthermore, higher maltreatment predicted a steeper decline in frontoparietal activation across adolescence, indicating neural plasticity in cognitive control-related brain development, which was associated with lower internalizing symptomatology. Our results elucidate the crucial role of neurocognitive development in the processes linking adverse experiences and psychopathology. Implications of the findings and directions for future research on the effects of adverse experiences on brain development are discussed.

Association of childhood socioeconomic status with adulthood maximal exercise blood pressure: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

Purpose Socioeconomic status has been related to resting blood pressure (BP) levels at different stages of life. However, the association of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and adulthood exercise BP is largely unknown. Therefore, we studied the association of childhood SES with adulthood maximal exercise BP. Materials and methods This investigation consisted of 373 individuals (53% women) participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study who had data concerning family SES in childhood (baseline in 1980, at age of 6–18 years) and exercise BP response data in adulthood (follow-up in adulthood in 27–29 years since baseline). A maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test with BP measurements was performed by participants, and peak exercise BP was measured. Results In stepwise multivariable analysis including childhood risk factors and lifestyle factors (body mass index, systolic BP, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, fruit consumption, vegetable consumption, and physical activity), lower family SES in childhood was associated with higher maximal exercise BP in adulthood (β value ± SE, 1.63 ± 0.77, p = 0.035). The association remained significant after further adjustment with participants SES in adulthood (β value ± SE, 1.68 ± 0.65, p = 0.011) and after further adjustment with adulthood body-mass index, systolic BP, maximal exercise capacity, and peak heart rate in exercise (β value ± SE, 1.25 ± 0.56, p = 0.027). Conclusions These findings suggest that lower childhood family SES is associated with higher maximal exercise BP in adulthood.

First-Generation and Racially Minoritized Student Success: Effectiveness of a Framing Intervention

ABSTRACT In this study, the authors examine the impact of a framing intervention aimed at improving the retention and persistence of structurally disadvantaged students including first-generation, racially minoritized, and those from low-SES families attending a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). Institutional and survey data were used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The results demonstrate the importance of a nuanced examination of the predictors of first-generation and racially minoritized student success. We consider the implications of the findings for college practice and policy.

Completion of multidose vaccine series in early childhood: current challenges and opportunities.

Completion of all doses in multidose vaccine series provides optimal protection against preventable infectious diseases. In this review, we describe clinical and public health implications of multidose vaccine series noncompletion, including current challenges to ensuring children receive all recommended vaccinations. We then highlight actionable steps toward achieving early childhood immunization goals. Although coverage levels are high for most early childhood vaccinations, rates of completion are lower for vaccinations that require multiple doses. Recent research has shown that lower family socioeconomic status, a lack of health insurance coverage, having multiple children in the household, and moving across state lines are associated with children failing to complete multidose vaccine series. These findings provide contextual evidence to support that practical challenges to accessing immunization services are impediments to completion of multidose series. Strategies, including reminder/recall, use of centralized immunization information systems, and clinician prompts, have been shown to increase immunization rates. Re-investing in these effective interventions and modernizing the public health infrastructure can facilitate multidose vaccine series completion. Completion of multidose vaccine series is a challenge for immunization service delivery. Increased efforts are needed to address remaining barriers and improve vaccination coverage in the United States.

Peer support as moderator of association between socioeconomic status and low-grade inflammation in adolescents.

Individuals who grow up in low-socioeconomic status (SES) families are at an increased risk of health problems across the lifespan. Although supportive social relationships are postulated to be a protective factor for the health of these individuals, the role of friend support in adolescence is not well understood. Given that low-grade inflammation is one key biological mechanism proposed to explain links between family SES and health outcomes, we examined whether adolescents' friend support buffers the association between family SES and low-grade inflammation among adolescents. 277 dyads of adolescents (63.5% female; 39.4% White, 38.3% Black, and 32.1% Hispanic; Mage = 13.92 years) and one of their parents participated in this longitudinal study (two waves approximately 2 years apart). Parents reported family objective SES (i.e., income, savings, and education) and family subjective SES (i.e., subjective social status). Adolescents reported perceived friend support. Fasting antecubital blood was drawn from adolescents at both visits. Low-grade inflammatory activity was represented by a composite of inflammatory biomarkers and numbers of classical monocytes. Adolescents' friend support moderated the associations of family subjective SES with both the inflammation composite and classical monocyte counts across cross-sectional, longitudinal, and prospective change (only significant for the inflammation composite) analyses. Specifically, lower family subjective SES was associated with higher levels of low-grade inflammation only among adolescents lower, but not higher, in friend support. No moderation was observed for objective SES. Supportive peer relationships buffer the link between family subjective, but not objective, SES and low-grade inflammation in adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Socioeconomic disparities in education placement for children of primary school age with autism spectrum disorder in China.

Relatively little is known about education placements for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China. While disparities in ASD diagnoses and services for the population broadly are often documented, the presence and determinants of differences in the educational placement of ASD children are less studied and understood. By identifying who is likely to be in segregated settings, we can discern how to best support them and facilitate a possible transition to a less restrictive setting. This study describes four placements (regular schools, special schools, institutions, homes) and their influencing factors retrospectively in a large sample (n = 2,190) of Chinese primary school-aged children (6-12 years old). We divided ASD into severe and mild to moderate categories for analysis. Children with ASD were more likely to study in a regular school (48.60%), while 13.88% were in a special school. Children with severe ASD were placed in less regular settings than children with mild to moderate ASD. However, families with higher socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to place their children in regular schools than lower SES families if their children experienced mild to moderate symptoms. Children with severe ASD were more likely to be placed in expensive institutions for families with higher SES than those with lower SES. SES disparities in educational placement existed and had two manifestations. It is important to characterize educational placements of students with ASD to determine the extent to which they are placed in general education settings, which are often the preferred placement.

Compensation or accentuation? How parents from different social backgrounds decide to support their children

Abstract Previous research has shown that parents respond to differences in their children’s potential by providing them with different levels of support, and that such support allocation decisions are shaped by socioeconomic status (SES). We extend this observation to the assumption, raised in research on parental compensation and social mobility, that not only the allocation, but also the form of support provided is socially stratified. Specifically, we investigate whether socioeconomically advantaged parents use mechanisms that do not rely directly on cognitive enhancement. Drawing on data from three consecutive waves of the German TwinLife study (N = 960), we use twin fixed-effects models to examine how parents respond to their children having different grades. We investigate parental support strategies, including help with schoolwork and school-related communication, encouragement and explicitly formulated expectations, and extracurricular cognitive stimulation. Our findings suggest that high-SES parents tend to compensate for their children’s poor performance by helping them with schoolwork, fostering communication, and formulating academic expectations and encouragement. However, no significant differences in support allocation between high- and low-SES parents were found. Moreover, we found no evidence that parents in either high- or low-SES families respond to differences in their children’s school performance by providing them with extracurricular cognitive stimulation.

The Resilience and Socioeconomic Status of Caregivers and School-Aged Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: Conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between (1) caregiver and child resilience; and (2) socioeconomic status (SES) and the resilience of both caregivers and children. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many unanticipated challenges for school-aged children and caregivers and navigating them required tremendous resilience. The degree to which the resilience of family members influenced one another or how it was related to economic hardships tied to the pandemic, particularly for members of low SES families, remains poorly understood. Methods: Online surveys were administered to 22 caregivers ( Mage = 40.45 years; SD = 4.55) and 27 children ( Mage = 8.19 years; SD = 1.14) to measure self-reported resilience and SES. Correlational analyses were conducted to assess both objectives. Results: Analyses detected no significant relationships between the resilience of caregivers and children, nor the resilience and SES of these groups. However, trends revealed that caregivers who reported “normal” levels of resilience had a higher average income than those who reported low levels of resilience. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to suggest a relationship between the resilience of caregivers and their children, but income levels may play a role in the resilience of caregivers. Implications: Targeting factors that help families with low SES navigate adversities, including those related to income, need to be identified and better understood to ensure a proactive and equitable public health response in future phases of the pandemic or similar situations.

Economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities.

To control the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many jurisdictions throughout the world enacted public health measures that had vast socio-economic implications. In emergency situations, families of children with developmental disabilities (DDs), including autism, may experience increased difficulty accessing therapies, economic hardship, and caregiver stress, with the potential to exacerbate autism symptoms. Yet, limited research exists on the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of children with autism or another DD compared to families of children from the general population. To assess impact of the COVID-19 pandemic related to parental employment and economic difficulties in families of children with autism, another DD, and in the general population, considering potential modification by socioeconomic disadvantage before the pandemic and levels of child behavioral and emotional problems. The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) is a multi-site, multi-phase, case-control study of young children with autism or another DD as compared to a population comparison group (POP). During January-July 2021, a COVID-19 Impact Assessment Questionnaire was sent to eligible participants (n=1,789) who had enrolled in SEED Phase 3 from September 2017-March 2020. Parents completed a questionnaire on impacts of the pandemic in 2020 and completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to measure behavioral and emotional health of their child during this time. Multiple logistic regression models were built for employment reduction, increased remote work, difficulty paying bills, or fear of losing their home. Covariates include group status (autism, DD, POP), household income at enrollment, child's race and ethnicity, and binary CBCL Total Problems T-score (<60 vs. ≥60). Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The study included 274 children with autism, 368 children with another DD, and 385 POP children. The mean age of 6.1 years (standard deviation, 0.8) at the COVID-19 Impact Assessment did not differ between study groups. Parents of children with autism were less likely to transition to remote work (aOR [95% CI] = 0.6 [0.4, 1.0]) and more likely to report difficulty paying bills during the pandemic (1.8 [1.2, 2.9]) relative to parents of POP children. Lower income was associated with greater employment reduction, difficulty paying bills, and fear of losing their home, but inversely associated with transitioning to remote work. Parents of non-Hispanic (NH) Black children experienced greater employment reduction compared to parents of NH White children (1.9 [1.1, 3.0]). Parents from racial and ethnic minority groups were more likely to experience difficulty paying bills and fear losing their home, relative to NH White parents. Caregivers of children with CBCL scores in the clinical range were more likely to fear losing their home (2.1 [1.3, 3.4]). These findings suggest that families of children with autism, families of lower socio-economic status, and families of racial and ethnic minority groups experienced fewer work flexibilities and greater financial distress during the pandemic. Future research can be used to assess if these impacts are sustained over time.

Parent-perceived recurrent pain in children: associations with maternal pain, depressiveness, socioeconomic status, and children's behavioural difficulties.

The current study aimed to examine the potential transgenerational associations between maternal pain and depressiveness and childhood pain, and to explore the associations between the children's difficulties and recurrent pain (defined as pain occurring at least once a month in the previous 6 month) in healthy children aged 3-13 years. We collected Data between 2015 and 2019 as part of the LIFE Child study in Germany and investigated associations of maternal pain and depressiveness, child age, sex, pubertal stage, emotional difficulties, conduct difficulties, hyperactivity/inattention, peer group difficulties, and prosocial skills, and family socioeconomic status with the frequency of parent-perceived headache, backache, and stomachache in a sample of 1,850 children (4,819 documented visits) using logistic and ordinal regression analyses. Overall, 10.4%, 24.4%, and 45.2% of parents reported their children had recurrent backache, headache, and stomachache, respectively, with 5.5% of children were reported to experience all three types of pain simultaneously. Higher age, female sex, puberty, emotional difficulties, low family socioeconomic status, as well as higher maternal impairment due to pain and maternal depressiveness were significantly associated with more frequent pain. Our study suggests that maternal pain, maternal depressiveness, and lower family socioeconomic status as well as child's emotional difficulties are significantly associated with a higher frequency of recurrent pain in children perceived by their parents.

Effects of Computer-Assisted Reading Interventions on Literacy Skill Gains of At-Risk Students During a Summer Break

Learning to read is an essential skill for later academic success, positive self-esteem, and gainful employment. Students who display reading difficulties/disabilities at the end of third grade are less likely to succeed in content areas and graduate from high school. Recent data suggests that many students in today’s schools do not become skilled readers, and the reading loss widens during summer months due to skill regression. Regression of reading skills is greater for students from low Socioeconomic status (SES) families and for students with disabilities. This study examined the effects of two computer-assisted reading programs on the reading skills of 21 students at-risk for reading failure during a summer break. All students were pre- and post-tested after 8 weeks of intervention. Furthermore, tutors’ and students’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness and desirability of the programs were measured. A description of the computer programs, results, implications, and limitations of the study are discussed.