Single Parent Homes
The Hilltop Review
Volume 5
Issue 1 Fall 2011
Article 4
2-24-2012
Academic Achievement of Children in Single
Parent Homes: A Critical Review
Mark S. Barajas
Western Michigan University, mark.s.barajas@wmich.edu
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/hilltopreview
Part of the Education Commons
Recommended Citation
Barajas, Mark S. (2011) "Academic Achievement of Children in Single Parent Homes: A Critical Review," The Hilltop Review: Vol. 5:
Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/hilltopreview/vol5/iss1/4
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks at
WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Hilltop Review by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. …show more content…
Although some studies have been inconclusive, a large majority of studies reviewed show that children from single-parent (SP) homes score lower on tests of cognitive functioning and standardized tests, receive lower GPAs, and complete fewer years of school when compared to children from two
-parent (TP) homes (Bain, Boersma, & Chapman 1983; Balcom 1998; Biller 1970; Chapman,
1977; Daniels, 1986; Downey, Ainsworth-Darnell, & Durfur, 1998; Fry & Scher, 1984; Mandara & Murray 2006; Milne, Rosenthal, & Ginsburg, 1986; Sigle-Rushton & McLanahan
2004). Even when controlling for economic and racial differences of the family, children from two-parent households outperform children from one-parent households across a variety of measures (Downey, 1994; Kim, 2004; Krein & Beller, 1988; Mulkey, Crain, & Harrington,
1992; Teachman, 1987). McLanahan and Sandefur (1994) summarize the research by writing:
Children who grow up in a household with only one biological parent are worse off, on average, than children who grow up in
Volume 5
Issue 1 Fall 2011
Article 4
2-24-2012
Academic Achievement of Children in Single
Parent Homes: A Critical Review
Mark S. Barajas
Western Michigan University, mark.s.barajas@wmich.edu
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/hilltopreview
Part of the Education Commons
Recommended Citation
Barajas, Mark S. (2011) "Academic Achievement of Children in Single Parent Homes: A Critical Review," The Hilltop Review: Vol. 5:
Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/hilltopreview/vol5/iss1/4
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks at
WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Hilltop Review by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. …show more content…
Although some studies have been inconclusive, a large majority of studies reviewed show that children from single-parent (SP) homes score lower on tests of cognitive functioning and standardized tests, receive lower GPAs, and complete fewer years of school when compared to children from two
-parent (TP) homes (Bain, Boersma, & Chapman 1983; Balcom 1998; Biller 1970; Chapman,
1977; Daniels, 1986; Downey, Ainsworth-Darnell, & Durfur, 1998; Fry & Scher, 1984; Mandara & Murray 2006; Milne, Rosenthal, & Ginsburg, 1986; Sigle-Rushton & McLanahan
2004). Even when controlling for economic and racial differences of the family, children from two-parent households outperform children from one-parent households across a variety of measures (Downey, 1994; Kim, 2004; Krein & Beller, 1988; Mulkey, Crain, & Harrington,
1992; Teachman, 1987). McLanahan and Sandefur (1994) summarize the research by writing:
Children who grow up in a household with only one biological parent are worse off, on average, than children who grow up in