In‐School Versus Out‐of‐School Friendships and Academic Achievement Among an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Adolescents

Much of the research on adolescent friendships and school achievement has focused on in‐school friends, ignoring the potential effects of having out‐of‐school friendships. The goal of this study was to examine the relation between having relatively more in‐school friends and school achievement among a sample of over 600 12th grade students from ethnically diverse backgrounds. We found that adolescents with more in‐school friends, compared with out‐of‐school friends, had higher grade point averages (GPAs) and that adolescents with higher GPAs had more in‐school friends. These relations were mediated by academic experiences, including those shared with friends. However, as hypothesized, the social aspects of adolescents' friendships did not vary according to their percent of in‐school friends, attesting to the importance of considering both types of friendships in understanding adolescents' social experiences. None of the relations described varied according to gender or ethnicity.     

Rural Students’ Social Capital in the College Search and Application Process

Although the growing mandate for higher education creates challenges for students in rural areas, rural high school graduates currently attend college at a rate similar to their peers in other locale types. Prior research has attributed this accomplishment to family, school, and community social capital, yet the processes through which students translate social capital into educational attainment remain unspecified. This study examines how successful rural students access and engage various forms of social capital during the college search and application process. Analysis of semistructured interviews with 30 college graduates from communities throughout one predominantly rural state showed that family social capital provided most students with generalized support, but college‐specific guidance tended to correlate with parental education and income. Most students benefited from school social capital, primarily through pro‐college climate, peer networks, teachers, guidance counselors, and academic tracking. Students accessed community social capital through supportive youth and adult interactions, extended family ties, and a caring community, but these forms of social capital did not explicitly support the college search process. Although quantitative studies have operationalized family, school, and community social capital as distinct concepts, this study argues that these constructs cannot be disentangled given the interconnectedness of rural families, schools, and communities.     

The Role of Peer Social Capital in Educational Assimilation of Immigrant Youths*

The academic achievement of immigrant children has been a focus of social research for decades. Yet little attention has been paid to peer social capital and its importance as a school context factor for the academic success of immigrant youths. Using multilevel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Waves 1 and 3), this article draws upon social capital theory and assimilation theory to examine the effects of peer social capital on the academic achievement and attainment of immigrant and native youths. The effects of three measures of peer social capital are studied, controlled for many important variables, for example, sociodemographic background variables, school characteristics, and family social capital. Results indicate that only the average GPA (grade point average) of peers had a consistent and significant effect on children's achievement and attainment, whereas the density and the homogeneity of the peer network did not. Furthermore, all three measures of peer social capital have stronger effects for immigrant youths than for native youths.     

The academic achievement of socioeconomically disadvantaged immigrant adolescents: a social capital perspective

A sizable body of literature reports that social capital, derived from relational resources embedded in micro social contexts, is crucial for student achievement. This study aimed to examine whether this applies as well to socioeconomically disadvantaged immigrant adolescents in the US. In so doing, the study first identified the types of relational features that were strongly associated with immigrant adolescents’ academic achievement, before exploring how high- and low-achieving immigrant adolescents coming from similarly socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds differed in terms of these relational features. To this end, the study used the dataset of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS). There was a significantly positive association found between academic achievement and a number of positive characteristics of social relationships with friends and teachers. In addition, a significant disparity in these relational features was found between high and low achievers among the socioeconomically disadvantaged. The findings illuminate the salience of peer contexts and of interpersonal trust in shaping immigrant adolescents’ educational outcomes in a way that transcends socioeconomic boundaries. It is pertinent for educators and policy-makers to empower immigrant youth as independent agents capable of generating academically relevant social capital on their own outside their families and ethnic communities.     

Examining Familial-Based Academic Success Factors in Urban High School Students: The Case of Puerto Rican Female High Achievers

ABSTRACT

This article works to dispel the myth that Puerto Rican female urban high school students living in poverty are not capable of performing at high academic levels. This article attempts to counteract these beliefs by describing the four success factors that seven Puerto Rican female high school students attribute to their high academic achievement. These success factors are: (1) religiosity and extracurricular activities as sources of social capital, (2) affirming and maintaining a Puerto Rican identity, (3) maternal influences on students' academic achievement and, (4) the potential for caring teachers and other school staff to influence high academic achievement. Finally, our findings suggest that opportunities for Latinas and other youth of color are still inequitably structured in large, comprehensive high schools. Hence, we argue that schools must continue to bridge the large gap between themselves and the families/communities they serve and utilize the funds of knowledge and social capital that their students already bring to school.     

Interdisciplinary Social Work and Law

Collaboration between social workers and lawyers has been of particular interest to schools of social work due to the increasing frequency with which social workers intervene with clients involved in the legal system. This article presents an educational model specifically designed to teach the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with domestic violence. The model provides training in collaborative practice between social workers and lawyers while integrating domestic violence content with the relevant legal regulations and procedures and social work interventions. The article describes course content, teaching techniques, and student assessment, and discusses special challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration.     

Purpose plus: supporting youth purpose, control, and academic achievement

Research in the past decade suggests that a persistent achievement gap between students from low-income minority backgrounds and higher-income white backgrounds may be rooted in theories of student motivation and youth purpose. Yet limited research exists regarding the role of purpose on positive youth development as it pertains to academic achievement. Using a sample of 209 high school students, this study examines the effectiveness of an intervention designed to promote purpose development and internal control over academic success in high school students from a low-socioeconomic-status community. Findings reveal that a short-term intervention was effective in significantly increasing internal control over academic success and purpose in life for students participating in the intervention group. In addition, analysis of academic achievement for students who experienced positive gains in internal control and purpose demonstrates significant gains in academic achievement as measured by grade point average. Implications are made for further study of internal control and life purpose as a means of academic intervention in the effort to address the achievement gap.     

Economic Development and the Effects of Family Characteristics on Mathematics Achievement

This article explores the relationship between nations' level of economic development and the influence of adolescents' social backgrounds on their academic achievement. Using data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the authors found that the positive effect of higher parents' education on middle‐school students' mathematics test scores is remarkably consistent among the 34 nations examined. In contrast, the relative advantage of living in a traditional family for mathematics achievement varies systematically between nations, being significantly greater in those with stronger economies. Although the influence of socioeconomic status on educational stratification does not appear to change, the deepening academic disadvantage of living with only one natural parent in more developed nations may result from marginalization of families in these societies.     

Parental Involvement with Children at School, Home, and Community

Previous research has focused on examining the effects of parental involvement on children’s academic achievement. Less attention has been placed on exploring types of parental involvement from parental reports. This study combines in a single analytic framework predictors from earlier studies with parent-based reports of involvement in three venues: home, school, and community. We examine two categories of predictors: social and economic resources, and parent perceptions and experiences with child’s school. Using data from the Parent and Family Involvement Survey, analyses were performed for White, Black, and Latino parents. Consistent with previous findings, our research finds that minority parents are less involved at their child’s school than White parents. No ethnic differences in home or community involvement were found.     

A multi-level analysis of school racial composition and ecological correlates of academic success

Current policy and practice interventions have failed to address disparities in academic success by race/ethnicity or socio-economic status. In addition, as policy interventions to prevent racially segregated schools have stalled, progress toward reducing these achievement gaps has also slowed. This exploratory study employs multi-level modeling to examine how risk and protective factors in students' schools, homes, peer groups, and neighborhoods relate to behavior and academic performance. We examine whether these relationships depend on the racial composition of the school and, in particular, the concentration of African American students in schools. The findings indicate that protective school, home, peer group, and neighborhood environments characterized by social support and safety are associated with positive academic outcomes and behavior. Students attending more segregated schools in which the majority of students are African American report worse behavioral and academic outcomes than students in other schools, even when controlling for other important dimensions of the school environment, school climate, school safety, and poverty. In addition, school racial composition shapes how key protective factors relate to grades.     

Parental Influence and Academic Achievement among Middle School Students: Parent Perspective

This study examined the effects of parental influence on middle school students' academic achievement. The sample included 32 parents of middle school students. The questionnaire measured: parental pressure and support; parental help, monitoring, and press for literacy; and communication. There was a relationship that approached significance between communication and academic achievement: as communication increased, academic achievement increased. There was also a relationship that approached significance between parental help, monitoring, and press for literacy and parents' highest level of education: the higher the level of education of parents, the more involved parents were. The implication for school social workers is discussed.     

Tutor and Student Experiences of Teaching and Learning Law in UK Social Work Education

In a project researching the outcomes of teaching law in social work education, students and tutors were asked to reflect on their experiences of both the academic curriculum and how learning was translated into practice. Curriculum documents in the eight participating universities were also analysed.

At times distinctive orientations emerged from approaches to teaching and practising social work law articulated by tutors and students, and captured in course documentation. On what contributed to effective teaching outcomes, both students and tutors emphasised the application of law learning to practice and the importance of considering learning styles. For students, law learning remains a complex challenge but with a clear interface with social work values. Teaching can help to reduce anxiety about practising social work law but familiar barriers to learning and its application in practice also surfaced. In addition to the time allocated to law learning, development of legal knowledge and skills was greatly affected by the priority given to this aspect of practice during placements.

The openness of practice assessors and managers towards the legal rules and students who use their legal and ethical literacy to advocate for particular outcomes for service users was a crucial factor positively affecting the student experience.     

Adolescents’ experiences of school belonging: a qualitative meta-synthesis

School belonging is associated with positive social and academic outcomes. This meta-synthesis aimed to explore adolescents’ accounts of the experience of school belonging, and to promote their understanding of this experience in order to inform policy and practice. A meta-ethnographic methodology was used; this involved a process of reciprocal translation and subsequent synthesis of eight qualitative studies. The synthesis generated four main concepts: (1) school belonging and intersubjectivity; (2) school belonging and knowledge, understanding and acceptance of individual identity; (3) school belonging and experiences of in-group membership and (4) school belonging and safety/security. The synthesis of translation generated the higher-order concept of school belonging as ‘feeling safe to be yourself in and through relationships with others in the school setting’. This concept considers the experience of school belonging for adolescents as a foundational prerequisite of academic engagement and achievement. The implications of these findings for education, social care and mental health practitioners and policymakers are discussed.     

Social Capital,Place of Residence,and College Attendance1

The relationship between social interaction and college attendance is examined across varying types of communities. Structural arrangements and interaction patterns that foster positive relationships are regarded as social capital and are conceptualized as investments that can yield human capital returns in terms of higher educational attainment. Logistic regression procedures are employed to analyze data from the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study. The social capital model of college attendance is estimated for the full sample and separately for high school students living in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Predicted probabilities of attending college for students with high and low social capital are obtained. Results of these analyses indicate that parental expectation of college attendance is the most powerful predictor of subsequent college attendance among variables examined. Measures of community social capital and parental human capital also strongly predict attendance.     

Having the Last Word: Human Rights Reporting (Re)Imagined Through Critical Qualitative Methodology

Human rights monitoring and reporting have emerged as major practices of human rights lawyers and advocates in both non-governmental organizations and inter-governmental organizations. This reporting is a form of knowledge production, often geared towards advocacy on behalf of human rights protection but also seeking to provide an ‘objective’ report of some kind. NGOs and IGOs employ a range of methodologies, but these are rarely formalized and tend to rely more on general institutional reputation and credibility, as well as the professionalism of individual practitioners. Some scholars have recommended more formal, standardized methods and have raised the possibility of borrowing models from other contexts. This paper considers contributions that critical methodologists from the social sciences and related disciplines might offer to human rights practice, particularly human rights monitoring and reporting. Traditional methodological approaches in the social sciences and in law have been criticized, interrogated, and (re)developed in recent years from numerous perspectives, but it does not appear that these critical approaches have penetrated international legal work, especially human rights lawyering. This paper suggests that critical qualitative methodologies offer great opportunity to reconceptualize traditional approaches to method and practice in human rights work.     

The Effect of Immigrant Communities on Foreign‐Born Student Achievement1

This paper explores the effect of the human capital characteristics of co‐ethnic immigrant communities on foreign‐born students’ math achievement. We use data on New York City public school foreign‐born students from 39 countries merged with census data on the characteristics of the immigrant household heads in the city from each nation of origin and estimate regressions of student achievement on co‐ethnic immigrant community characteristics, controlling for student and school attributes. We find that the income and size of the co‐ethnic immigrant community has no effect on immigrant student achievement, while the percent of college graduates may have a small positive effect. In addition, children in highly English proficient immigrant communities test slightly lower than children from less proficient communities. The results suggest that there may be some protective factors associated with immigrant community members’ education levels and use of native languages.     

Anachronism,Agency, and the Contextualisation of Adat: Van Vollenhoven’s Analyses in Light of Struggles Over Resources

This article discusses the conceptual and analytical contributions of the Dutch scholar Cornelis van Vollenhoven to the study of Indonesian adat law. He argued from a politically inspired concern about gross colonial exploitation in the Dutch East Indies that this was based on flawed understandings of local legal orders. This stimulated him to design a conceptual framework to capture the characteristics of these legal orders, called adat law. His perceptiveness to the distortions caused by using Western legal concepts to describe customary laws was unique for the time, and so was his attention to the various contexts other than in disputes in which adat law was used. This renders his work of importance not only for lawyers but also for social scientists. The article discusses the criticism against his academic work and suggests that despite some major weaknesses, some criticisms are anachronistic as they concerned earlier or later scholars rather than the work of van Vollenhoven himself. The article shows how debates about indigenous rights and the decentralisation policies after the fall of the Soeharto regime have stimulated a renewed interest in adat and adat law. It is argued that van Vollenhoven’s conceptual framework is still of use, but only if it is expanded and set into a broader analysis of migration, exploitation, and power relations.     

TIME‐USE AND ACADEMIC PEER EFFECTS IN COLLEGE

This paper examines academic peer effects in college. Unique new data from the Berea Panel Study allow us to focus on a mechanism wherein a student's peers affect her achievement by changing her study effort. Although the potential relevance of this mechanism has been recognized, data limitations have made it difficult to provide direct evidence about its importance. We find that a student's freshman grade point average is affected by the amount her peers studied in high school, suggesting the importance of this mechanism. Using time diary information, we confirm that college study time is actually being affected. (JEL I20, F21, J01)     

Predictors of Academic Achievement for Latino Middle Schoolers

The aim of this study was to examine specific child, home, and school factors that predict academic achievement for Latino middle school students. The sample for this study (N = 173) was drawn from seven public schools located in three school districts in the northeastern United States. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to predict academic achievement from a combination of predictor variables: gender, parent educational attainment, parent employment status, acculturation, parent involvement in school, and school identification. Findings indicate that school identification and parent involvement in school are protective factors that promote Latino middle grade students' academic achievement. These findings suggest that collaborative partnerships between school social workers, teachers, and Latino students and their parents are an important strategy that can optimize connections to school that result in academic achievement.