Entwisle D R, Alexander K L
Department of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218.
Child Dev. 1990 Apr;61(2):454-71.
This article uses a structural model with a large random sample of urban children to explain children's competence in math concepts and computation at the time they begin first grade. These 2 aspects of math ability respond differently to environmental resources, with math concepts (reasoning) much more responsive to family factors before formal schooling begins than is computation. In this sample, blacks and whites are equivalent in terms of computational and verbal skills as measured by the California Achievement Test at the start of grade 1. However, there is a significant difference of about a quarter of a standard deviation favoring whites over blacks in terms of math concepts (reasoning skills). Both black and white children of all socioeconomic levels respond to parents' psychological resources: net of ability or other factors, children score higher if parents expect them to do well. Socioeconomic resources in the home also help both groups. In particular, the parent being a high school graduate as opposed to a dropout is important. When parents' material and psychological resources are taken into account, family configuration (solo motherhood vs. other types) has no discernible effects on either type of math performance.
本文采用一个包含大量城市儿童随机样本的结构模型，来解释儿童在一年级入学时的数学概念能力和计算能力。数学能力的这两个方面对环境资源的反应有所不同，在正规学校教育开始之前，数学概念（推理）比计算能力对家庭因素的反应更为敏感。在这个样本中，根据一年级开始时加州成就测试的结果，黑人和白人在计算能力和语言技能方面相当。然而，在数学概念（推理技能）方面，白人比黑人有显著优势，约为四分之一个标准差。所有社会经济水平的黑人和白人儿童都会对父母的心理资源做出反应：排除能力或其他因素，父母期望孩子取得好成绩时，孩子的得分会更高。家庭中的社会经济资源对这两个群体也有帮助。特别是，父母是高中毕业生而非辍学者这一点很重要。当考虑到父母的物质和心理资源时，家庭结构（单亲母亲家庭与其他类型家庭）对任何一种数学成绩都没有明显影响。
