University of Missouri - Saint Louis
The Graduate School
Announcement
An oral examination in defense of the dissertation for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education
Vanessa B. Garry
Ed.S. in Educational Administration, May, 2006, University of Missouri-St. Louis.
M.A. in International Affairs, December, 1999, Washington University-St. Louis.
M.Ed. in Art Education, December, 1977, Wichita State University.
B.S.Ed. in Art Education, May, 1974, Lincoln University.
Grandparents as Primary Caregivers and Their Effects on the Reading Achievement of Their Elementary-Age African American Grandchildren
Abstract
Using data collected from surveys completed by grandparents for their grandchildren (N = 72), this quantitative study examines the effects grandparent primary caregivers have on the reading achievement of their African American grandchildren. The study sought to answer the following question: How do the six types of parental involvement (Epstein, 2001) performed by primary grandparents affect the reading abilities of their elementary-age African American grandchildren who live in the same households? Six types of parental involvement include attendance to parent workshops, communications between school and home, attendance to parent conferences, assistance with homework, attendance to IEP or 504 meetings and grandchild being enrolled in tutoring classes. The researcher used extant data collected by administrators from three charter schools. First, counselors contacted grandparents who are primary caregivers inviting them to participate in the survey and second, grandparents who are not primary caregivers received the surveys from their grandchildren, who returned them to the school staff. A regression analysis was used to determine which of the six types of parental involvement affected achievement. Overall, grandchildren of grandparents who are primary caregivers out-performed their peers on Communication Arts of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). The conclusions drawn from the research indicate that weekly communication between school and home, parent/teacher/student meetings and assistance with grandchildren’s homework are three types of parental involvement that positively affected reading achievement.
| Date: October 13, 2009 |
Time: 1:00 p.m. |
Place:201 Education Administration Building |
Defense of Dissertation Committee
| |
Carole Murphy, Ed.D. (Advisor) |
Kathleen Brown, Ph.D. |
| |
Paulette Isaac-Savage, Ed.D. |
Lloyd Richardson, Ph.D. |
