Date Approved

7-26-1995

Embargo Period

9-12-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Learning Disabilities

Department

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Urban, Stanley

Subject(s)

Academic achievement; Divorce--Psychological aspects

Disciplines

Disability and Equity in Education

Abstract

Divorce is a major crisis in the life of a child and can lead to a decline in academic achievement. Numerous studies indicate that children of divorce show lower academic achievement than those from intact families. Studies have shown that children from one parent families score lower on achievement tests but the reasons for the test scores vary based on the individual situation.

Educational systems can play an important role in helping children of divorce deal with their problems. Teachers and counselors are very important to the success or failure of children in coping with problems associated with divorce. Since divorce places the child's learning at risk, schools must become more aware of the potential needs of this population.

The purpose of this study was to gather descriptive information that compares the academic achievement of 60 randomly selected seventh grade, middle-school students from single-parent families versus two-parent families. The independent variable was the family structure. The dependent variables were the mean achievement test scores on the MAT6 and the second marking period letter grades taken from the students' report cards. Sixty students were selected randomly.

Intraocular inspection of the mean achievement test scores and grades in Reading, Math, and English were not meaningfully different in Table I and Table II.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the grades of the intact group in English and Math slightly exceeded the mean grade of students form the two-parent family. The students' mean composite scores in Reading and English slightly exceeded the mean composite scores of students from two-parent families. However, the Math mean composite score of the students in the two-parent families slightly exceeded the mean composite score of students in single-parent families. The apparent contradictory results most likely reflect errors of measurement.

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