| Abstract: | Describes 2 research projects (C. Carlson and C. R. Cooper, 1989 and K. Stark et al, 1991) linking family processes with children's competence in school as examples of methodological issues related to investigations that cross the systems of the family and school. Both projects were designed to inform the development of mental health interventions for children. The 1st study included parents and 6th-grade children of 58 intact families, 34 single-parent families, and 17 stepparent families from a middle school that served middle to upper-middle class homes. The 2nd study included 34 parents, 79 children, and teachers from 3 4th-grade classes in an elementary school that served a low-income, minority neighborhood. Issues discussed include gaining cooperation from the school, recruitment and consent procedures for families as Ss, data collection and measurement challenges, and family-school-researcher reciprocity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
