Science education is crucial for students as it fosters critical thinking, problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of the natural world. The present study explored factors beyond the classroom that impact students' science academic performance (SSAP) at secondary schools. Based on research questions and literature, three hypotheses were…

This study considered the influences of the home learning environment and preschool quality on the development of 5-year-old Chinese (N = 43) and South Asian (N = 32) children in Hong Kong. Children were recruited from two preschools--one admitted only South Asian children, and the other admitted only Chinese children. Children were assessed in…

Background: The home learning environment (HLE), along with center-based early childhood education (ECE) programs, plays an essential role in promoting early childhood development (ECD). HLE can become more or less stimulating over time due to caregivers' tendency to adapt HLE in response to preschoolers' evolving developmental status, of which…

Objective: Using Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological model as a frame, we explored the impact of neighborhood disadvantage, household chaos, and personal stressors on current mental health symptoms in college students. Participants: 144 students at a large, public university in the southern U.S. Methods: Participants completed measures of…

The number of U.S. children living in households with extended families has greatly increased in the last 4 decades. This demographic shift calls for a reevaluation of the impact of household size on children's development. Household density (HHD), measured as the ratio of people to bedrooms in a home, has been shown to negatively relate to…

The present study is an attempt to give a holistic and bigger picture of the relations between family contextual factors and academic achievement by employing second-order meta-analysis to synthesize results from first-order meta-analyses. Thirteen first-order meta-analyses included in this study represent more than one thousand culturally diverse…

Research on the effects of the socioeconomic status (SES) on literacy development of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) is limited. This study aimed to explore the SES's influence on literacy development of children with ID and possible mediating effects of home literacy environment (HLE) and the parent-child relationship. The subjects…

The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum provides students with ample academically demanding learning experiences at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. A full continuum of IB offerings from 3-years-old to 12th grade at a southern school has not increased the percentage of graduates with IB diplomas as expected. This mixed…

Objective: Investigate whether psychosocial risk in the childhood family environment moderates the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and sleep, and the relationship between childhood SES and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in college students, two factors that are linked to future risk for cardiovascular disease.…

Research Findings: The present study examined the relation between socioeconomic status (SES) and Chinese children's development of English as a second language in Hong Kong, and whether the home literacy environment (HLE) was an important mediator. Participants were 237 children (110 girls, M[subscript age] = 47.38 months, SD[subscript age] =…

English as a foreign language education is a top national priority in China, and improving learners' English language proficiency is a concern. However, most research focuses on how to enhance English proficiency in the educational environment. Investigations of the impacts of family environment on English language development are limited. This…

Guided by the family investment model, family process model, and componential model of reading, this study examined underlying mechanisms linking family socioeconomic status (SES) to reading comprehension. Participants were 682 Chinese third graders (Wave 1, M[subscript age] = 9.31 years, 338 girls) randomly recruited, and they were followed up…

The purpose of this project was to investigate potential correlates of family life impairment in families of young autistic children. This project incorporated measures of specific child and parent challenges in addition to a commonly used unidimensional measure of autism characteristics. In this way, we could assess whether such challenges…

The significant impact of the home literacy environment (HLE) on the literacy development and educational achievements of typically developing (TD) children has been well documented. The focus of the current research is to gain insights into the HLE of children with autism spectrum disorders owing to their literacy difficulties. We used online…

In this article we report on an exploration of leadership and context for the improvement of quality education in South African socioeconomic-deprived school contexts viewed through Hellinger's contextual theory, open systems theory, Bronfenbrenner's ecology of human development, and Bourdieu's theory of field, habitus and power. A post…