NCJ Number
225959
Journal
Journal of Early Adolescence Volume: 29 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2009 Pages: 142-169
Date Published
February 2009
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This study examined resources that Latino early adolescents draw from families, friends, and schools for academic achievement.
Abstract
Findings did not unequivocally support the prediction that families would provide more support and guidance than friends, but did support the prediction that teachers’ would be least likely to provide emotional support. Results highlighted the associations between Latino families’ emotional support and educational guidance and their children’s school achievement. These youth saw their parents and siblings as their most important sources of support and guidance, and the importance of families persisted from elementary school to junior high school. Friends were key sources of both emotional support and educational guidance, but teachers were more specialized sources of homework help. A finding that may be surprising yet important is that Latino parents’ support and guidance were positively correlated with students’ math grade pathways, and these associations did not vary as a function of family income. In contrast, friends’ emotional support and educational guidance and teachers’ emotional support were not correlated with math pathways, but were cited by youth as more specialized resources. That teachers’ educational guidance was negatively correlated with students’ math pathways may reflect a reactive pattern in which teachers provide more help to students who are struggling with math. Data were collected from 31 Latino families. Tables, notes, and references