Are Two Better than One? A Comparative Study of Achievement Gaps and Family Structure

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

Y

18

Reading Achievement; Parent Participation; Family Structure; Comparative Analysis; Achievement Gap; Comparative Education; International Education; Mothers; One Parent Family; Predictor Variables; Achievement Tests; Foreign Countries; Social Influences

Australia; Austria; Belgium; Canada; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Ireland; Italy; New Zealand; Norway; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; United Kingdom (Great Britain); United States

10.1080/03057920802366372

0305-7925

Using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the size of the literacy achievement gap between 15-year-old students from two-parent and those from single-mother households were compared across 18 industrialized nations. This study found that cross-national differences exist in the association between single motherhood and literacy achievement. The research findings also indicate that economic deprivation and parental involvement moderate the association between family structure and student literacy achievement. (Contains 7 tables.)

As Provided

47

2009

EJ855551