Impact of Divorce on Children's Academics

THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON SCHOOL AGE (9TH GRADERS) CHILDREN'S

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AS REFLECTED BY OVERALL END-TERM

According to Clarke-Stewart, Friedman and Koch (1985):

There are well over a million divorces in this country every year, and 70 percent of these families have children. (pp 476-477)

Not only has divorce risen to these staggering proportions but there are indications that the divorce rate is still increasing. Such statistics highlight the importance of understanding how divorce affects people, especially for children whose underdeveloped cognitive and emotional skills can make them particularly vulnerable. This study constitutes research aimed at increasing this understanding.

The research problem examined the study was divorce and its impact on the academic performance of groups of 9th grade students. The conducted study utilized a randomized, posttest-only, equivalent groups design comparing the overall, end-term GPAs of the following three student groups: (1) students whose parents have been divorced less than one year; (2) students whose parents have been divorced between one and two years; and (3) students whose parents have never been divorced or separated (stable-home students).

A good deal of research has examined for the affects of divorce on school-age children. According to Tomlinson-Keasey (1985), these effects, while diverse in form, are ge

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study were 9th grade students drawn from the ninth grade class of a large, local secondary school. The study began by obtaining permission to conduct the study from the LAUSD, and then from the principal of the school itself. Once permission had been obtained, school files were used to obtain the names and telephone numbers of all ninth grade students. The parents of each of these students were called by the investigator who explained the nature of the study and asked parents if they would mind their children participating in the research. Those parents who gave permission for participation were then asked if they were married or divorced. If they were divorced, they were asked how long they had been divorced. If they were married, they were asked if they were still married to the father of the child. Only parents who had been divorced either under one year or between two years, or who were still married to the father of their biological children were considered suitable for the study. The grade point averages of all children of the parents considered suitable were then taken from school files at the end of the school year. These grade point averages were then written on three numbered rosters: (1) a roster for chil

Category: Psychology - I