The Long-Term Effect of Childhood Residential Mobility on Educational Attainment

Abstract

Moving during childhood has typically been found to have negative effects on educational attainment. The loss of important social relationships is likely the cause. Many studies that examine the effect of residential mobility on education take a relatively short-term view by only looking at the effect for those no older than their late teens or early 20s. However, because many family moves are beneficial to children, in terms of improving their neighborhood or home environment, it is possible that the positive effects of family mobility do not appear until much later. I examine the effect of childhood residential mobility on educational attainment using the 1986 Canadian General Social Survey for individuals aged 25 and over. Results suggest that over the long run, residential mobility in childhood is beneficial for later educational attainment in that those who move between birth and age 15 are more likely to eventually graduate from high school than those who remain in the same community.

Housing mobility and cognitive development: Change in verbal and nonverbal abilities

“…As seen in previous research on poverty, the at-risk children in this study exhibit suppressed cognitive development (Farah et al, 2008; Noble et al, 2006; Noble et al, 2005), and mobile children exhibit even poorer cognitive performance after controlling for socioeconomic status. This result contradicts previous conclusions that poverty explains the effects of housing mobility (Hango, 2006; Pribesh & Downey, 1999). Moreover, the partial rebound of abilities associated with housing mobility resembles the context-dependent effects of severe maltreatment and physical deprivation experienced in childhood which rebound following stabilization of the environment (Beckett et al, 2010; Jaffee, 2007; Straus & Paschall, 2009).…”

“…Moreover, single moves and other short-term family changes fail to impair and may enhance cognitive development over time; movement toward stability likely promotes connections between systems that support learning. The ecobiodevelopmental theory also contextualizes prior research showing inconsistent effects of housing mobility on development (Coley et al, 2015; Hango, 2006). Threshold effects and developmental timing differences mask potentially important developmental processes triggered by inadequate housing.…”

Migration and sexual behaviour among youth in Nairobi’s slum areas

“…Multiple partners in the year preceding the survey was significantly predicted by problem behaviour this is in line with findings that show that youth with problem behaviour were more likely to engage in risky behaviour including risky sexual behaviour among these being multiple sexual partners (Hango, 2006). Social context is also important in multiple partnerships as shown by the finding that migrant youth were less likely to have multiple partners compared to those born in the slums; supporting the finding by Zulu and colleagues (Zulu et al, 2002).…”

“…This might lead them to engage in sexual relations as there is no monitoring from parents. Also significant was problem behaviour which has been shown to develop among children who change residence frequently (Hango, 2006) mainly as a way of coping with the loss of familiar environment, friends and other social capital (Coleman, 1988). Problem behaviour can lead adolescents into engaging in sexual activity soon after in-migration to compensate for the loss and as a way of forming new bonds or fitting into the new environment.…”

Administrative Record Linkage as a Tool for Public Health Research

“…Such mobility may be a disruptive life event if occurring during childhood (2,33,70). Change in residence across neighborhoods of differing socioeconomic status (SES) over time also provides information on upward or downward socioeconomic trajectories for individuals over the life course (31).…”