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19 - Effects of a Family Poverty Intervention Program Last from Middle Childhood to Adolescence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2009

By
Aletha C. Huston ,
Sylvia R. Epps ,
Mi Suk Shim ,
Greg J. Duncan ,
Danielle A. Crosby  and
Marika N. Ripke
Edited by
Aletha C. Huston  and
Marika N. Ripke
Aletha C. Huston
Affiliation:
Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor of Child Development for the Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
Sylvia R. Epps
Affiliation:
Doctoral Student in Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
Mi Suk Shim
Affiliation:
Social Science/Humanities Research Associate IV, University of Texas at Austin Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment Measurement and Evaluation Center
Greg J. Duncan
Affiliation:
Professor of Education and Social Policy, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
Danielle A. Crosby
Affiliation:
Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for Human Potential and Public Policy, University of Chicago
Marika N. Ripke
Affiliation:
Director of Hawaii Kids Count and Affiliate Faculty for the Center on the Family, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Aletha C. Huston
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
Marika N. Ripke
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Manoa
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Summary

Experiences within the family and in settings outside the family during middle childhood may set patterns of achievement, motivation, and behavior that endure as children make the transition into adolescence. Although many studies demonstrate associations of such experiences with later behavior, two questions often remain. First, to what extent did experiences prior to middle childhood contribute to the patterns observed during middle childhood? For example, if parenting warmth during middle childhood predicts children's prosocial behavior, is that association merely an extension of the effects of earlier parenting warmth? The second question concerns inferences about causal direction when contexts and behavior are correlated. Do contexts affect children's development, or do characteristics of children lead them to select particular contexts, or both? For example, the extensive literature showing that children who participate in extracurricular activities have better school performance and behavior (e.g., Mahoney, Larson, & Eccles, 2005) is based primarily on correlational data and leaves unanswered questions about the causal nature of these relationships.

In this chapter, we use a random assignment experiment evaluating New Hope, a program designed to increase parental employment and reduce family poverty, to examine the impacts of changes in contexts initiated during middle childhood on children's behavior in early to middle adolescence. The experimental design of the study solves the problems of identifying unique effects of contexts in middle childhood and of making causal inferences about the direction of effects on behavior.

Type
Chapter
Information
Developmental Contexts in Middle Childhood
Bridges to Adolescence and Adulthood
 , pp. 385 - 408
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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  • Effects of a Family Poverty Intervention Program Last from Middle Childhood to Adolescence
    • By Aletha C. Huston, Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor of Child Development for the Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Sylvia R. Epps, Doctoral Student in Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Mi Suk Shim, Social Science/Humanities Research Associate IV, University of Texas at Austin Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment Measurement and Evaluation Center, Greg J. Duncan, Professor of Education and Social Policy, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Danielle A. Crosby, Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for Human Potential and Public Policy, University of Chicago, Marika N. Ripke, Director of Hawaii Kids Count and Affiliate Faculty for the Center on the Family, University of Hawaii at Manoa
  • Edited by Aletha C. Huston, University of Texas, Austin, Marika N. Ripke, University of Hawaii, Manoa
  • Book: Developmental Contexts in Middle Childhood
  • Online publication: 16 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499760.020
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  • Effects of a Family Poverty Intervention Program Last from Middle Childhood to Adolescence
    • By Aletha C. Huston, Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor of Child Development for the Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Sylvia R. Epps, Doctoral Student in Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Mi Suk Shim, Social Science/Humanities Research Associate IV, University of Texas at Austin Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment Measurement and Evaluation Center, Greg J. Duncan, Professor of Education and Social Policy, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Danielle A. Crosby, Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for Human Potential and Public Policy, University of Chicago, Marika N. Ripke, Director of Hawaii Kids Count and Affiliate Faculty for the Center on the Family, University of Hawaii at Manoa
  • Edited by Aletha C. Huston, University of Texas, Austin, Marika N. Ripke, University of Hawaii, Manoa
  • Book: Developmental Contexts in Middle Childhood
  • Online publication: 16 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499760.020
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Effects of a Family Poverty Intervention Program Last from Middle Childhood to Adolescence
    • By Aletha C. Huston, Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor of Child Development for the Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Sylvia R. Epps, Doctoral Student in Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Mi Suk Shim, Social Science/Humanities Research Associate IV, University of Texas at Austin Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment Measurement and Evaluation Center, Greg J. Duncan, Professor of Education and Social Policy, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Danielle A. Crosby, Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for Human Potential and Public Policy, University of Chicago, Marika N. Ripke, Director of Hawaii Kids Count and Affiliate Faculty for the Center on the Family, University of Hawaii at Manoa
  • Edited by Aletha C. Huston, University of Texas, Austin, Marika N. Ripke, University of Hawaii, Manoa
  • Book: Developmental Contexts in Middle Childhood
  • Online publication: 16 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499760.020
Available formats
×