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Citation:

Burchinal, M. R., Peisner-Feinberg, E., Pianta, R., & Howes, C. (2002). Development of academic skills from preschool through second grade: Family and classroom predictors of developmental trajectories. Journal of School Psychology, 40(5), 415-436.

Annotation:
This study examines data from the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study (CQO) to explore associations between young childrenÕs academic skills development and their experiences with parents and teachers. The original CQO study focused primarily on the quality of classroom practice and child-teacher relationships in preschool through second grade. The study found that family characteristics Ñ notably mothersÕ educational attainment and familiesÕ parenting practices Ñ had the strongest associations with child outcomes, even among children who were in full-day child care. However, childrenÕs attributes and the closeness of childrenÕs relationships with the teacher also were associated with child outcomes. In particular, Òa close relationship with the teacher predicted better language skills for children of color and reading skills for children whose parents held more authoritarian parenting viewsÓ (p. 431). Of the original sample of 828 children, 317 were excluded from the current study due to missing data, leaving a sample of 511 children for whom there were at least two years of data. Differences between the original CQO sample and this studyÕs sample were modest, except that this studyÕs participants were much more likely to be white (74% vs. 54%). The CQO study used a stratified random sample of child care centers; however, child participants within the centers were not randomly selected. Data collected included assessments of childrenÕs academic and social skills, their relationships with teachers, child and family characteristics, and parenting beliefs and practices. Child assessment instruments included the Classroom Behavior Inventory, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, and reading and math subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-Revised; assessments were collected from the second-to-last year of child care through the second grade. Family environment was assessed primarily via an adaptation of the HOME scale. Limitations noted by the authors focus primarily on the assessment instruments used and also on the studyÕs reliance on teacher report regarding relationships with children. Sampling issues also limit the generalizability of findings.