가족구조가 아동의 학업성취에 미치는 영향

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to examine how family structure affects children's
academic achievement with special reference to the relative influence of family
resources in the context of Korean society.
Following research questions are addressed.
(1) Do children who live with single parents have relatively lower achievement than
children who live with both parents?
(2) Is family structure associated with family resources which are necessary for
supporting children's academic activities?
(3) If differences in children's test scores by family structure exist, what are the
factors that might explain the differences? Can differences in test scores be
attributable to any of the possible links between family structure and family
resources?
The analyses are based on data collected from 1,011 sixth graders of 8 public
elementary schools in Seoul. Data is analyzed using multiple regression, crosstabs, and
odds ratio. The results show that children in two-parent families have higher test
scores than do children in one-parent families. Also, children who live with single
parents are economically disadvantaged while parental attention with regard to
children's educational activities doesn't differ by family structure. Such disadvantage
in test scores for children from one-parent families can mainly be attributable to
families' poor economic conditions. Family structure itself does not influence children's
achievement directly. Rather, family economic resources, which are strongly associated
with family structure, mediate the negative effects of living in a single-parent family.
Thus, it can be concluded that the lower academic achievement of children from
single-parent families is due to the fact that single parents have lower education
levels and lower earnings.