Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-75dct Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-16T03:15:51.824Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Children on the move: The social and educational effects of family mobility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Barry A. Fields
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Compared with other Western countries Australia stands out as having one of the most highly mobile populations. Despite this, there is very little recognition of this phenomenon and its social and educational effects. School personnel are particularly culpable in this regard, maintaining an image of schooling as a system focussed on relatively stable class groups. The available data, however, paint a very different picture, and one which compels the attention of not only educators but also a variety of individuals from the helping professions and welfare agencies. This article explores the nature of student mobility, its effects on children, and their adjustment to school.

Type
Research Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , 1997 , pp. 4 - 9
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, K.L., Entwisle, D.R. & Dauber, S.L. 1996, ‘Children in motion: School transfers and elementary school performance’, Journal of Educational Research, 90, 3–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, M. 1995, Internal migration in Australia 1986–1991. Overview Report, Canberra: Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research, AGPS.Google Scholar
Birch, I. & Lally, M. 1995, ‘Rural transient children and school achievement: An Australian perspective’, Rural Educator, 16, 5–9.Google Scholar
Blyth, D.A., Simmons, R.G. & Carlton-Ford, S. 1983, ‘The adjustment of early adolescents to school transitions’, Journal of Early Adolescence, 3, 105–120.Google Scholar
Bourke, S.F. & Naylor, D.R. 1971, The effect of school changes on army dependent children, unpublished Research Cell Project 4–70, Army School of Education, Canberra.Google Scholar
Brent, G. & DiObilda, N. 1993, ‘Effects of curriculum alignment versus direct instruction on urban children’, Journal of Educational Research, 86, 333–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, A.C. & Orthner, D.K. 1990, ‘Relocation and personal well-being among early adolescents’, Journal of Early Adolescence, 10, 366–381.Google Scholar
Cleveland Public Schools. 1989, Student stability: Some relationships between student stability and other selected variables for 1987 – 88, Ohio: Cleveland Public Schools.Google Scholar
Collins, J.M. & Coulter, F. 1974, ‘Effects of geographic movement on the social and academic development of children of army personnel’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 19, 222–223.Google Scholar
Corcoran, M. 1995, ‘Rags to rags: Poverty and mobility in the United States’, Annual Review of Sociology, 21, 237–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornille, T.A., Bayer, A.E. & Smyth, C.K. 1983, ‘Schools and newcomers: A national survey of innovative programs’, Personnel & Guidance Journal, 62, 229–236.Google Scholar
Duffy, E.P. 1987, ‘Itinerant children in schools’, Australian Journal of Social Issues, 22, 542–552.Google Scholar
Eckenrode, J., Rowe, E., Laird, M. & Brathwaite, J. 1995, ‘Mobility as a mediator of the effects of child maltreatment on academic performance’, Child Development, 66, 1130–1142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fennell, P. & Boys, J. 1991, Mobile students: A guide to good practice, Carlton: Curriculum Corporation.Google Scholar
Fennell, P. & Edwards, M. 1991a, Mobile students: A guide for schools, Carlton: Curriculum Corporation.Google Scholar
Fennell, P. & Edwards, M. 1991b, Mobile students: A guide for parents, Carhon: Curriculum Corporation.Google Scholar
Fennell, P. & Edwards, M. 1991c Mobile students: A guide for employers, Carhon: Curriculum Corporation.Google Scholar
Fields, B. 1994, A study of student mobility in primary schools: Factors influencing mobility and educational implications, paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education, University of Newcastle.Google Scholar
Fields, B. 1995, ‘Family mobility: Social and academic effects on young adolescents’ Youth Studies Australia, 14, 27–31.Google Scholar
Glick, P.C. 1993, ‘The impact of geographic mobility on individuals and families’, Marriage & Family Review, 19, 31–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingersoll, G., Scamman, J. & Echerling, W. 1989, ‘Geographic mobility and student achievement in an urban setting’, Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis, 11, 143–149.Google Scholar
Jalongo, M.R. 1994/95, ‘Helping children to cope with relocation’, Childhood Education, 71, 80–85.Google Scholar
Jason, L.A., Weine, A.M., Johnson, J.H., Warren-Sohlberg, L., Filippelli, L.A., Turner, E.Y. & Jardon, C. 1992, Helping transfer students: Strategies for educational and social readjustment, San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Johnson, J. 1987, Life events as stressors in childhood and adolesence, Newbury Park: Sage.Google Scholar
Keat, D.B., Crabbs, M.A. & Crabbs, S.K. 1981, ‘Facilitating the adjustment process of new students’, Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 15, 319–323.Google Scholar
Kessler, R.C., Price, R.H. & Wormian, C.B. 1985, ‘Social factors in psychopathology: Stress, social support, and coping processes’, Annual Review of Psychology, 9, 531–572.Google Scholar
Long, L.H. 1975, ‘Does migration interfere with children’s progress in school?’, Sociology of Education, 48, 369–381.Google Scholar
Long, L.H. 1992, ‘International perspectives on the residential mobility of America’s children’. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 54, 861–869.Google Scholar
Mackay, L.D. & Spicer, H.J. 1975, Educational turbulance among Australian servicemen’s children, Vol. 1, Canberra: Department of Education, AGPS.Google Scholar
Marchant, K.H. & Medway, F.J. 1987, ‘Adjustment and achievement associated with mobility in military families’, Psychology in the Schools, 24, 289–294.3.0.CO;2-A>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mehana, M. & Reynolds, A.J. 1995, The effects of school mobility on scholastic achievement, Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis.Google Scholar
Miller, Y.F. & Cherry, J.W. 1991, On the move: Children in transition, Silver Springs, Maryland: National Association for School Psychologists.Google Scholar
Newcomb, M.D., Huba, G.J. & Bentler, P.M. 1981, ‘A multidimensional assessment of stressful life events among adolescents: Derivation and correlates’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 400–415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New York State Education Department 1992, Student and teacher mobility: Impact on school performance in New York city public schools, Albany, New York: Office for Planning, Research, and Support Services.Google Scholar
Rahmani, Z. 1981, Educational turbulance among Australian servicemen’s children studying in grade three, unpublished Master of Education thesis, Monash University, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Rahmani, Z. & Scherer, R. 1982, ‘A road to better schooling’, Education News, 16, 24–29.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. 1981, ‘Stress, coping and development: Some issues and some questions’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22, 323–356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schuler, D. 1990, ERS Spectrum, 8, 17–24.Google Scholar
Settles, B.W. 1993, “The illusion of stability in family life: The reality of change and mobility’, Marriage & Family Review, 19, 5–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Straits, B.C. 1987, ‘Residence, migration, and school progress’, Sociology of Education, 60, 34–43.Google Scholar
Turner, I. & McClatchey, L. 1978, ‘Mobility, school attainment, and adjustment,’ Association for Educational Psychologists Journal, 4, 45–50.Google Scholar
U.S. General Accounting Office. 1994, Elementary school children: Many change schools frequently, harming their education, Report to the Honourable Marcy Kaptur, House of Representatives, GAO/HEHS-94–45. Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Walker, H.M. & McConnell, S.R. 1987, The Walker-McConnell scale of social competence and school adjustment: A social skills rating scale for teachers, Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed.Google Scholar
Warren-Sohlberg, L. & Jason, L.A. 1992, ‘School transfer and adjustment’, Psychology in the Schools, 29, 78–84.Google Scholar