1. Xxxx Xxxxxx: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The Interaction of Hometown Population and the Relationship of Grade Point Average to Family Type, Family Income, and Father Education
Xxxx Xxxxxx: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Results
There was a significant three way interaction between family type, family income, and father education as they relate to hometown population F(2, 335) = 9.18, p < .001, MSE = 1.29E12, r = See Figure 1. There was a significant interaction between family type and family income as they relate hometown population F(2, 335) = 12.91, p < .001, MSE = 1.29E12, r = See Figure 2.
The Interaction of Hometown Population and the Relationship of Grade Point Average to Family Type, Family Income, and Father Education
There are many factors that influence academic achievement. There are also several differences in demographics between those raised in an urban setting and those raised in a rural setting. McCracken and Barcinas (1991) found that rural students had higher grade point averages than did urban students. The study also found that rural students had lower socioeconomic statuses and parental education than did urban students.
Another study found that where educational levels are high, poverty is low (Albrecht, Albrecht, & Albrecht, 2000). Talicic (1972) found that urban children and those from families with higher socioeconomic status had better test scores and achieved greater scholastic success than did rural children and those with lower socioeconomic status. There seems to be a disconnect between these studies due to the fact that in the McCracken and Barcinas study, as well as the Talicic study, urban students had more parental education and higher socioeconomic statuses than did rural students. The results differed for urban students in both studies in that urban students ended up having lower GPAs than rural students in the McCracken and Barcinas study, but better test scores and greater scholastic success in the Talicic study. To further examine this disconnect, this study examines both urban vs. rural and academic achievement by seeing how they differ in terms of parental education, family type, and family income.
Nicholas-Omoregbe (2010), Cherian (1992) and Liu, Qian, and Huang (2004) found that parental education attainment had a significant effect on school outcomes. McCracken and Barcinas (1991) found that parental education was different across urban and rural areas. This study breaks parental education into two categories; those whose father figure had fifteen years or less formal education (low), and those whose father figure had sixteen years or more formal education (high). Liu, Qian, and Huang also found that family income had an effect on academic achievement while McCracken and Barcinas found family income to be different between urban and rural families. In this study family income is broken into three groups; those whose family earns $50,000 or less annually (low), those whose family earns between $50,001 to $85,000 annually (medium), and those whose family earns $85,000 or more annually (high). Lansford (2009) found that children whose parents divorced had lower academic achievement than did children whose parents did not divorce. Chiappori, Fortin, and Lacroix (2002) found the divorce rate to be higher in metropolitan areas than in nonmetropolitan areas. This study examined family type as two categories; those who were raised in a two parent family and those who were raised in a non two parent family (such as a one parent family, step-parent(s), or foster families). To look at how these variables interact with urban vs. rural settings and academic achievement, they were examined on their relationship to hometown population and grade point average.
Table 1.
Means and Standard Deviations for Father Education, Family Type, and Family Income as Related to Hometown Population
Father Education Family Type Family Income Mean SD
15 Years or Less Two Parent Low E6
Medium E5
High E6
Non Two Parent Low E5
Medium E5
High E6
16 Years or More Two Parent Low E6
Medium E5
High E5
Non Two Parent Low E5
Medium E5
High E5
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Figure 1. a b c
Differences between letters in Figure 1. are based on an LSD minimum mean difference of 585,418.95
Figure 2.
References
Aaro, L. E., Flisher, A. J., Kaaya, S., Onya, H., Namisi, F. S., & Wubs, A. (2009). Parental education as an indicator of socioeconomic status: Improving quality of data by requiring consistency across measurement occasions. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 37(2),
Albrecht, C. M., Albrecht, D. E., & Albrecht, S. L. (2000). Poverty in nonmetropolitan America: Impacts of industrial employment, and family structure variables. Rural Sociology, 65(1),
Chiappori, P. A., Fortin, B., & Lacroix, G. (2002). Marriage market, divorce legislation, and household labor supply. Journal of Political Economy, 110(1),
Cherian, V. I. (1992). Relation of parental education and life status to academic achievement by Xhosa children. Psychological Repots, 71(3),
Lansford, J. E. (2009). Parental divorce and children's adjustment. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(2),
Liu, X., Qian, M., & Huang, Y. (2004). The family environment of freshmen in one key- university and another un-key-university. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 18(8),
McCracken, J. D., & Barcinas, J. D. (1991). Differences between rural and urban schools, student characteristics, and student aspirations in Ohio. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 7(2),
Moore, B. (1985). A longitudinal/panel study of persisting and nonpersisting rural minority college students. South Carolina University Department of Agriculture Research Bulletin, 47, 1-94.
Nicholas-Omoregbe, O. S. (2010). The effect of parental education attainment on school outcomes. IFE Psychologia: An International Journal, 18(1),
Tolicic, I. (1972). Socioeconomic family status, child's abilities at school-entry age and scholastic success. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from web.ebscohost.com. library.unl.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=104&sid=d8491c7c-08f7-44f e9 ef22 9%40session mgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWh vc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db= psyh &AN=
Zalaquett, C. P. (1999). Do students of noncollege-educated parents achieve less academically than students of college-educated parents? Psychological Reports, 85(2), b
Differences between letters in Figure 2. are based on an LSD minimum mean difference of 413,989.50 a
Methods
Undergraduate students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln enrolled in an introductory statistics course, and their friends and associates, participated in this study. The sample size was The average age was years old. Female to male ratio was 221 to European-Americans made up 91.6% of the sample, 3.6% were Asian-Americans, 2.3% were Hispanic-Americans, 1.5% were African-Americans, 0.5% were Native-Americans, and 0.3% were classified as "other." Participants completed one survey each at various locations, both on and off campus.
A self report questionnaire was given consisting of several demographic questions including hometown population, grade point average, family type, family income, and parental education level. The questionnaire was filled out by the participant in their natural setting. Participants also completed a set of surveys which were not used in the final analyses.
Prior to issuing questionnaires, students in an undergraduate statistics course completed a survey themselves. Each student then sought out five other undergraduates to complete a survey each. Completed surveys were then scored and examined. Information was then entered into a larger database that consists of data from multiple sections. The data were then analyzed.
Discussion
The finding of no significant difference in hometown population for people whose father figure had high education when related to income was contrary to McCracken and Barcinas (1991) who found that socioeconomic status was much lower for families in rural areas than for families in urban areas. The finding that those raised in families of high income where the father figure had low education had significantly greater hometown populations than did those raised in families of medium and low incomes supports a previous study which found socioeconomic status and parental education to have a strong positive correlation (Aaro et al., 2009). However there was no difference between low and medium income levels for those whose father figure had low education nor was there a difference between those whose father figure had high education and low, medium, and high income levels, contrary to the previous study.