The Family Context of Parenting in Children's Adaptation to Elementary School

The Family Context of Parenting in Children's Adaptation to Elementary School is a result of a longitudinal prevention study of 100 families begun the year before their first children entered kindergarten. Each family went through an assessment and then a subset was randomly chosen for group intervention. The children in both groups were then studied as they progressed through kindergarten and first grade to assess the quality of their adaptation to the school environment. The text focuses on how parent-child relationships are only one determinant of a child's academic competence, social competence, and behavior. Rather, these relationships must be understood in the context of the role they play within the family as a system. It also addresses the recent challenges to claims about the impact of parents on their children's development. The book sheds additional light on family influences within the larger social environment as a key determinant of the quality of children's adjustment to schooling. It appeals to scientists, professionals, and parents alike.

Philip A. Cowan, Carolyn Pape Cowan, Jennifer C. Ablow, Vanessa Kahn Johnson, Jeffrey R. Measelle

Contents: Series Foreword: Monograhs in Parenting. Part I: Introduction and Method.P.A. Cowan, C.P. Cowan, J.C. Ablow, V.K. Johnson, J.R. Measelle, Family Factors in Children's Adaptation to Elementary School: Introducing a Five-Domain Contextual Model. P.A. Cowan, C.P. Cowan, J.C. Ablow, V.K. Johnson, J.R. Measelle, Recruitment, Design, and Measures. Part II: Things Change Yet Stay the Same.P.A. Cowan, G. Heming, How Children and Parents Fare During the Transition to School. Part III: The Family Context of Parenting.J.F. Mattanah, Authoritative Parenting and the Encouragement of Children's Autonomy. J. Hsu, Marital Quality, Sex-Typed Parenting, and Girls' and Boys' Expression of Problem Behaviors. J.R. Measelle, Children's Self-Perceptions as a Link Between Family Relationship Quality and Social Adaptation to School. J.C. Ablow, When Parents Conflict or Disengage: Children's Perceptions of Parents' Marital Distress Predict School Adaptation. P.A. Cowan, I. Bradburn, C.P. Cowan, Parents' Working Models of Attachment: The Intergenerational Context of Parenting and Children's Adaptation to School. M.S. Schulz, Parents' Work Experiences and Children's Adaptation to School. V.K. Johnson, Family Process and Family Structure in Children's Adaptation to School. Part IV: Interventions as Tests of Casual Models of Family Influence on Children's Adaptation to School.C.P. Cowan, P.A. Cowan, G. Heming, Two Variations of a Preventive Intervention for Couples: Effects on Parents and Children During the Transition to School. Part V: Integrations.P.A. Cowan, C.P. Cowan, Five-Domain Models: Putting It All Together. P.A. Cowan, C.P. Cowan, J.C. Ablow, V.K. Johnson, J.R. Measelle, Family Factors in Children's Adaptation to Elementary School: A Discussion and Integration.