Socio-economic versus educational input variables as related to grade IV reading achievement among boys in St. John's, Newfoundland

Roe, Geraldine Mary (1970) Socio-economic versus educational input variables as related to grade IV reading achievement among boys in St. John's, Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to determine whether socio-economic variables were more related to reading achievement among grade four boys in urban Newfoundland than were certain educational inputs which have in the past been given emphasis in efforts to raise educational productivity in the province. Several minor hypotheses were set up to elucidate the relationships between reading achievement, as measured by vocabulary and paragraph comprehension scores, and the following variables: intelligence, father's occupation, mother's education, reading material at home, size of family, pupil absenteeism, teacher's qualifications and size of the school. -- Three hundred and fifty pupils were selected randomly from the fourth grade male population in schools within the city limits and operating under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic School Board for St. John's. Data collection took place in May and June, 1968, using three standardized tests and two questionnaires. A complete set of data was obtained for 305 pupils, their parents, their twenty-five teachers and twelve schools. -- Pearson product-moment correlation, partial product-moment correlation and multiple correlation were used to test the hypotheses. A descriptive analysis of the data, classifying pupils by each of the variables in the study and using means and medians, was also presented. Most of the calculations were carried out by means of the computer at Memorial University. -- The major finding of this study revealed that when variables were combined in multiple correlation the socio-economic variables explained a much larger proportion of the variance in reading achievement than did the combined group of educational input variables. Furthermore, of the sociological variables considered, two - father's occupation and mother's education - predicted achievement in reading almost as well as the whole group combined. One other sociological factor, size of family, contributed slightly to the multiple correlation coefficient when reading comprehension was used as the dependent variable. The two educational variables used in this study accounted for only a negligible amount of the variance in pupils' reading achievement. However, of the whole group of factors considered, intelligence proved to be the best predictor of reading achievement. -- The findings of this study suggest the need for educators to recognize that certain factors remote from the school exert a great influence on the reading achievement of pupils and to take these factors into account when devising educational policies and programs. Compensatory educational arrangements as well as diagnostic and remedial procedures to effect cure should be considered. Concomitantly, consideration should be given by those interested in education in the province to raising the socio-economic and cultural levels of the homes through a long-range program of involvement in adult education.

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