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Ronnie’s Learning Differences (only child of a single, out of work father)

Ronnie’s Learning Differences (only child of a single, out of work father). Garrett Waldron Jenny Jorgensen Christine Zeiner Danielle Duquette. Accepted Ideas on Single Parent Families.

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Ronnie’s Learning Differences (only child of a single, out of work father)

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  1. Ronnie’s Learning Differences(only child of a single, out of work father) Garrett Waldron Jenny Jorgensen Christine Zeiner Danielle Duquette

  2. Accepted Ideas on Single Parent Families • The children of single parents tend to perform “significantly lower” on standardized testing (Downey, 1994). • “Growing up without both parents [single parent family] is associated with a host of poor child outcomes, such as higher poverty rates and lower levels of educational and occupational attainment.” (Meier, 2009).

  3. Alternative Ideas • "Children brought up by single parents are at no greater educational disadvantage than those raised by a couple, says a large study in the United States.” (BBC News, 1999) • Poverty is a more determinant factor to student disadvantage than marital status of the parent. Unfortunately the two often go hand in hand.

  4. Same-Sex Hypothesis (Beller, 1988) • “The premise of the same sex standard for child custody is that...children with a parent of the same sex fare better than those with an opposite sex parent.” • “A boy needs a father to ‘become a man’.”

  5. Same-Sex Hypothesis • “Children do better if they are in the custody of the same-gender parent. This hypothesis is based on the idea that children need a same-gender identity model if they are to develop appropriate gender-role attitudes and behavior (Biller, 1981; Lynn, 1974; Santrock & Warshak, 1979; Warshak & San- track, 1983b).” (Clarke-Stewart & Hayward, 1996, p. 240)

  6. How These Ideas Fit • Becker's Theory of Household Production = educational attainment in viewed as a commodity desired by the household (Beller, 1988). This is influenced by the presence of money and time of the parents devoted to the child. • In Ronnie's case, there is no attention from a mother...but most likely ample attention from his father due to the fact his father is not consumed by a career. This does lead to the issue of lack of funds. Which seemingly has not effected Ronnie because he has had a successful career as a student while home.

  7. How Ronnie Bucks the Mold • Ronnie does not fit in with many of the typical ideas about single parent families, especially in light of being an only child (lacking sibling support and socialization). • At home, he is motivated, driven, and highly interested in his coursework. • There is not much in the way of strife in his home life, as evidenced through his demonstrated abilities.

  8. Ronnie (con.) • It is only when thrust into an irrelevant and unhelpful classroom situation that his work and behavior suffers. • This shows a lack of negative effects from his home life, as well as the negative effects brought about by his current situation.

  9. Ronnie (con.) • To some extent, Ronnie does confirm the same-sex hypotheses, where a male child will thrive within a same gendered single parent household • Despite his father being out of work, he is evidently still present in Ronnie’s everyday life, much for the benefit of the child. • His innate drive and desire to study abroad reflects this nurturing home environment.

  10. Conclusions • Teachers cannot make assumptions about children from single parent families as they pertain to their home lives and classroom performance. • We found that Ronnie’s home life in the states did not take away from his opportunities and achievements. • Rather, he was the victim of unfortunate circumstances in the classroom setting abroad, leading to a decline in motivation and performance.

  11. Conclusions (con.) • By providing in school some of the support structures that might not be present at home, teachers can ensure that children of single parents have just as many opportunities to develop and thrive in their continuing education.

  12. Works Cited • Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the Classroom: Reciprocal Effects of Teacher Behavior and Student Engagement Across the School Year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85 (4), 571-581 • Downey, D. B. (1994). The School Performance of Children from Single-Mother and Single-Father Families: Economic or Interpersonal Deprivation? Journal of Family Issues. • Clarke-Stewart, Alison K., Hayward, Craig. (1996) Advantages of Father Custody andContact for Psychological Well-Being of School-Age Children. Journal of AppliedDevelopmental Psychology. Pp. 239-270 • Kolencik, P. (2008). Affective and Motivational Factors for Learning and Achievement. In G. S. Goodman (Ed.), Educational Psychology: An Application of Critical Constructivism (pp. 174-176). New York, New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. • Beller, S. F. (1988). Educational Attainment of Children from Single-Parent Families: DIfferences by Exposure, Gender and Race. Demography , 25 (2), 221-234. • BBC News. (1999, October 13). Single Parents Not A Disadvantage for Pupils. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from Education: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/474106.stm • Musick, K. and Ann Meier. (2009). Are Both Parents Always Better Than One? Parental Conflict and Young Adult Well-Being. Rural New York Minute, 28 (April 2009): 1.

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