Neighborhood & Family Effects on Learning Motivation among Urban African American Middle School Youth

Abstract

Motivational theorists in psychology have moved away from individual-based approaches to socio-cognitive and socio-ecological models to explain student engagement and motivation for learning. Such approaches consider, for example, the influence of family and neighborhood environments as important constructs in youth behavior. In this study, links between neighborhood condition (e.g. external appearance of the blocks nearest to the respondents’ home), family dysfunction, and motivation for learning are investigated. Data were obtained from two hundred and sixteen (216) urban African American middle school children enrolled in a substance use prevention intervention. Analytic models show associations between poor neighborhood condition and both family dysfunction and lower learning motivation. Family dysfunction was also found to mediate the effect of neighborhood condition on motivated learning. Neighborhood and family characteristics are important determinants of urban schoolchildren’s motivation for learning.

Adapting the Facilitating Conditions Questionnaire (FCQ) for Bilingual Filipino Adolescents: Validating English and Filipino Versions

“…As Anderson and Keith (1997) noted, “…student motivation may have a stronger impact on at-risk students’ achievement than on the achievement of high school students in general” (p. 259). It is possible that motivation may even be a more salient issue for high-risk students who live in impoverished and stressful environments (Becker and Luthar 2002; Gordon-Rouse 2002; Whitaker et al 2012). …”

Measurement of Social Processes at the Neighborhood Level in Baltimore City

“…However, a robust body of research suggests a causal relationship between the neighborhood-level constructs measured by several of the indicators identified in this study and a range of child and youth health outcomes (Diez Roux & Mair, 2010;Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000). Multilevel research using indicators from the NIfETy has illustrated a relationship with neighborhood disorder and child outcomes at the individual level (Furr-Holden et al, 2014;Furr-Holden, Lee, et al, 2011;Furr-Holden et al, 2012;Jennings et al, 2012;Milam et al, 2010;Milam et al, 2012;Whitaker et al, 2012;Whitaker et al, 2013). Through replication of this research at the neighborhood level for small-area research, we aim to also prevent an individualistic fallacy in which studies of individual outcomes are misinterpreted in the assessment of neighborhood, population-level effects.…”

“…Utilized primarily in multilevel research, a substantial body of work used the NIfETy to study the effects of exposure to physical and social disorder, violence, and alcohol, tobacco, and drug activity on the health and wellbeing of children and youth living in Baltimore City (Brown et al, 2014;Furr-Holden et al, 2014;Furr-Holden, Lee, et al, 2011;Furr-Holden et al, 2012;Furr-Holden et al, 2008;Jennings et al, 2012;Milam et al, 2010;Milam et al, 2012;Whitaker et al, 2012;Whitaker et al, 2013). Outcomes associated with NIfETy-based measures of neighborhood context include motivation to learn (Whitaker et al, 2012), academic achievement (Milam et al, 2010), internalizing symptoms (Furr-Holden, Milam et al, 2012), risk-taking behavior (Furr-Holden etal., 2012), substance use (Brown et al, 2014;Furr-Holden et al, 2014;Furr-Holden, Lee, et al, 2011), obesity (Whitaker et al, 2013), and sexually transmitted infections (Jennings et al, 2012).…”

Relación familia-escuela y síndrome de Down: perspectivas de padres y profesores

“…Este vínculo permite al estudiante afrontar conflictos y generar habilidades para la resolución de problemas (Dessen & Polonia, 2014;Dusi, 2012;Polonia & Dessen, 2011;Varani & Silva, 2010). Acciones conjuntas y saludables entre F-E contribuyen en los procesos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes (Powel, Son, File & San Juan, 2010;Whitaker, Graham, Severtson, Furr-Holden & Latimer, 2012). En el mismo sentido, se indica que la participación de progenitores en actividades convocadas por la escuela influirá positivamente en el rendimiento académico de sus hijos (Llevot & Bernad, 2015;Sánchez & Valdés, 2011).…”