Running head: EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION 1

EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION

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EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION 2

Introduction.

The concept that parental involvement plays a vital role in a child's educational

achievement is an intuitive appeal to society. A considerable amount of literature in the field has

proved to have some inconsistencies based on the empirical study findings. The implication is

that a massive amount of research on the topic is non-empirical and quantitative. In this study,

we shall consider a one-parent arrangement which forms the dominant disposition in schools

today. More than 14 million children live in a one-parent home, which mostly consists of single

mothers resulting from separation, divorce, or death (Reynolds, 2011). The topic arouses a huge

concern since, according to estimation about children born after 1980, about 50% of them will

live in a single-parent home for at least 2.5 years before they are 18 years old. Another critical

observation made is that most one-parent families consist of the minority where almost half of

the black children below 18 years are from these families. In the past, single-parent homes were

atypical, whereas, in the current society, they are widespread. The research conducted in the past

majored on the problems experienced by single parents and their number. The study did not give

much attention to family and children at school, which are linked to inexorably.

Theoretical approach

Families and schools are overlapping spheres of influence on the development and

learning process of a student. The implication is that when educators and parents work together

to support and guide the development and learning process of students, the outcome is better in

comparison to their disunity. The theory recognizes that there are some activities that the school

and parents conduct separately while others are suitable if the two work as partners. The

argument on the emphasis of separateness insists on the importance of the schools' and families'

contributions to society separately. The model features that family organizations and school
EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION 3

bureaucracies are the most effective and efficient when their heads nurture their goals, activities,

and standards independently. The model insinuates that the institutions are separate and non-

overlapping, where they do not consider the history of ideas of the other group (Hampden-

Thompson, 2012). The only time that the model encourages coming together is when there is a

problem, thus signifying a conflict resolution model.

Much emphasis is laid on the model of overlapping spheres of influence which offers a

social-organizational perception as a starting ground for families, schools, and various inter-

institutional bond which affect the education of children. In the model, the immediate

environments which educate and socialize children are depicted as spheres of the impact that can

overlap their goal, resources, messages, and practices more or less by design for students.

The effect of the family organization on a child's education

The research followed a survey plan where the quantitative approach was employed. The

study data was obtained by issuing a questionnaire randomly and comparing the past studies on

the topic. From the study, it was noted that almost all parents want their children to succeed in

their education. However, many of them do not know how the family structure could influence a

child's academic achievement. I, therefore, conducted research to show the effects of family

organization on a child's education. The first observation I made was that children from single

parents' attainment and achievement are greatly affected. The view was deduced from the higher

scoring of children from intact biological families in elementary school compared to their

counterparts. Besides, even the reading tests, math, and science scoring of adolescents from

single parents also showed a similar result.

When it comes to school behavior in school, children living with both parents had a lower

chance of reporting behavioral problems in comparison to children from single parents. These
EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION 4

results were according to the research conducted by the National Survey of children's health. The

statistics also showed that the rate of suspension of children from single parenthood was higher

than those from intact families. On another aspect of the educational well-up, the children from

one-parent household depicted that the parent had a smaller amount of time in assisting in

learning. The parents from intact families, on the other hand, were accorded plenty of time by the

parents who were also concerned very much about their educational well-up. It was also

observed that in adolescents from intact families, their parents participated a lot in schools. Also,

they took note of the company the child is associated with at any given time. On the other hand,

little or no attention was given by one-parent families.

The study also showed that the social, economic status of parents played a role in the

child's education. In most cases, one-parent families are usually weaker economically. The

infants and toddlers from these families are less likely to master language skills and age-

appropriate cognitive in comparison to those from intact families. It's because the entire families

tend to be economically more robust, thus influencing the residing neighborhood, quality, and

resources that determine which schools they attend. When it comes to graduation, family

intactness is one of the significant positive influences on the rates in high school. Educators have

factored parental involvement as a crucial ingredient in the remedy on problems that arise during

the education process

Research extension to the non-western societies on single parenthood

The research was also extended to the non-western countries where a major some

variables were noted. One of the variables which were pointed out in the study is the cause of

single parenthood, either by marital disruption or death. Another variable that was considered is

the sex of a single parent (Raymo, 2015). The research showed heterogeneity in the one-parent
EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION 5

families among various types of single-parent families. For instance, in Canada, evidence

suggested that children from single-mother families from a bereaved father depict similar levels

of occupational and educational attainment in comparison to the intact families. These results

were quite different from those obtained from divorced single-mother families, where the

children got poor achievement in terms of education and occupation. The implication is that

divorce had a more negative impact on the children in comparison to death.

Another factor that was put into consideration is whether the parental absence pertained

to the father or the mother. A study in the Netherlands found that there were better educational

results for children with single fathers than those with single mothers. The outcomes of this

survey were precisely opposite to the findings of Canada, where children with single mothers

depict better results in comparison to single fathers. However, it's worth noting that the

difference in mother or father's absence in education was quite minimal. In the non-western

countries, the lack mostly consists of the father. Therefore, a little is known of the result of the

absence of the mother.

Additionally, in the non-western countries, lower educational and occupational

achievement can be attributed to poverty in single-parent families. As we observed, economic

instability is a significant contributor to poor performance in schools in western countries. The

case is also similar in the non-western countries where single parents are mostly poor; thus, their

children tend to be affected by the status (Park, 2013). One of the hindrances of achieving better

results on an economic basis in non-western countries is the lack of attention mechanisms via

which children's outcomes are affected.

Conclusion.
EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION 6

In the research, we have deduced that single parenthood significantly affects the

education and occupational achievement of a child generally. We have analyzed the two primary

models attributed to the single parenthood, where the model of overlapping spheres can best

explain the consequences of single parenthood. Additionally, we have revealed how family

structures affect single parenthood using study materials and research conducted. Also, we have

observed that several variables determine the one-parent effect that could have on a child's

education, such as whether the status of single parenthood came as a result of death or marital

disruption. On the extension of the research, we have observed similarities in factors influencing

the education of a child as far as single parenthood is concerned. From this study results, better

educational programs can be formulated to cater to the children from a one-parent family.
EFFECT OF SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN A CHILD’S EDUCATION 7

References

Hampden-Thompson, G. (2012). Single-Mother Families, Maternal Employment, and

Children's Literacy Achievement: A Study of 10 Countries. Education and

Society, 30(3), 23-42. doi:10.7459/es/30.3.03

Park, H. (2013). Single Parenthood and Children's Education in the Republic of Korea: An

Update. Korean Education in Changing Economic and Demographic Contexts, 153-171.

doi:10.1007/978-981-4451-27-7_9

Raymo, J. M. (2015). Single Motherhood and Children's Health and School Performance in

Japan. Marriage & Family Review, 52(1-2), 64-88.

doi:10.1080/01494929.2015.1076554

Reynolds, A. J., & Ou, S. (2011). Paths of Effects From Preschool to Adult Well-Being: A

Confirmatory Analysis of the Child-Parent Center Program. Child Development, 82(2),

555-582. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01562.x