School adjustment problems of children from small vs. Large families
✍ Scribed by Mary L. Searcy-Miller; Emory L. Cowen; David L. Terrell
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1977
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 449 KB
- Volume
- 5
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0090-4392
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Primary grade children from small (two children) and large (five or more children) families were compared on teacher ratings of school maladjustment. Children from small families, referred to a school mental health program, scored as significantly more maladjusted than referred large-family children on Aggression and Acting-out problems. Conversely, children from large families had significantly more serious Learning problems. Thus, each group had predominant types of school adjustment problems.
Popular belief argues that family size has important effects on a child's personality development, i.e., that children who grow up in small and large families develop different styles, characteristics, and problems (Ekstrand, 1931 ; Damrin, 1949; Bossard & Boll, 1954). However, empirical evidence on this question is meager and conflicting; indeed the area is characterized by personal impressions, questionable designs, and unwarranted generalizations.
Clinical opinions have been offered about relations between family size and personality development (Stagner