THE EFFECTS OF PLACEMENT IN FOSTER FAMILY HOMES ON SELECTED ASPECTS OF SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of foster families' levels of democratic permissiveness and intellectual climate, the age at which the child was separated from his biological parents, and the length of time in care with the current foster family on latency age, male, foster children's school adjustment and mathematics and reading achievement. Subjects were 66 male foster children, age 6 1/2 to 14 years, who were under the auspices of seven agencies. They resided with foster families within the five boroughs of New York City and Westchester County. School adjustment was measured by six subscales of the Child Behavior Characteristics Form (CBC), an adjective checklist constructed specifically for use in evaluating foster children's adjustment. Caseworkers rated subjects' behavior in the school setting and a mean adjustment score was obtained for each subject. Foster family characteristics were measured by two indices of the Foster Parent Appraisal Form (FPAF): Intellectual Climate and Democratic Permissiveness. Caseworkers rated foster families with mean scores obtained on each index for each family. Children's reading and mathematics grade levels, as well as IQ scores and number of previous placements were recorded. Data were subjected to three multiple regression analyses in order to test the hypotheses. The three null hypotheses were accepted, in part, indicating minimal relationships among the independent and dependent variables. IQ and number of previous placements, two variables included for control, accounted for more of the variance in school adjustment and academic achievement than the originally hypothesized independent variables. Results strongly suggest that characteristics of children prior to entering care and stability of placement affect school adjustment and academic achievement more than other child-related or systemic variables. The implications for preventive enrichment programs for preschool children at risk of placement and for policies regarding stability of placements were discussed.
Subject Area
Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
DAVID, JANET, "THE EFFECTS OF PLACEMENT IN FOSTER FAMILY HOMES ON SELECTED ASPECTS OF SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT" (1982). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8223593.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8223593
