To what extent are the differences in educational achievement between people, a result of the home background?

Question

To what extent are the differences in educational achievement between people, a result of the home background?

Answer 1

Are you linking "home background" with income?  I'd say that the poor achieve less educationally as a group than the well-off.  Look at http://www.irp.wisc.edu/research/educati...  You can actually read the full text of these papers by following the links.  This is only one source, so don't let it bias your opinion in its entirety

Answer 2

it depend on the will of people to separate from what they learnt from others in orther to think with their mind and learn by personal life experience! At least, for me it's so. Bye from Italy!

Answer 3

Educational achievement has much more to do with individual motivation and intelligence, as well as opportunity. In that respect, opportunity is greater outside of the home (i.e. children who attend school outside of the home are more likely to be successful, since they are exposed to the social aspect as well)

***Not quite sure if I understand what you are asking...it seems that many people have interpreted your question in many different ways.

Answer 4

i bet you know the real answer yourself.

Answer 5

I think there is a reasonable influence of family background on an individual, but there are other factors as well; e.g. culture, religion, peers, genetics etc.

Answer 6

Hiya,

There is a significant difference in the academic achievements of pupils from 'less well off' homes compared to individuals from a wealthier background. You can't generalise and say it's the norm with everyone, but studies have shown that children brought up in homes where there is little incentive to achieve don't tend to push themselves as hard or aim to participate in futher and higher education after school. In many circumstances the financial burden is too great and it's easier for them to find a job at 16 rather than struggle through college with their parent/parents trying to support them.

The Government has acknowledged this by introducing Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and also by providing additional support and grants should the individual wish to continue their education.

Children from single parent households, from homes where they rely on benefits and from abusive homes also tend to struggle more in school. Possibly because they don't feel they fit in. Again, not everyone can be labelled with this though!

Answer 7

Huge, actually.  Studies have shown that children who have problems in school will show extreme improvement once they shift from a bad home environment to a good one ("good" meaning supportive, healthy, loving, etc.)

Answer 8

It all depends. There are cases for both sides.. as for myself, my parents are very blue collar and not supportive of education --- I have managed 2 bachelors degrees, a MBA and post graduate work. They still don't understand.

Answer 9

To a GREAT extent.

While it is true that there are people who achieve higher educational goals, the fact is that the overwhelming majority of people who come from homes where the parents went on to higher learning go on to attain higher levels of education themselves.

When college has not been a part of a child's background, usually it simply doesn't become a part of their lives.

Answer 10

Quite a bit.

There is a direct correlation between income levels and SAT scores, for example. Also, I know for a fact Ivy League and other upper-tier schools are packed full of wealthy people.

They say the apple doesn't fall from the tree, and that is absolutely true for the most part. (Of course there are exceptions).

Answer 11

well im taking educational psychology and we talked about this last night...there is a point, maybe in your twenties or thirties depending on each individual where enough is enough and they have to accept: ok,u know what, growing up was this and that but, i have got to move on!!!

so bottom line, when they start becoming responsible and taking care of themselves, the excuse of  blaming their own situation on how bad things were back home isnt gonna work anymore!!! i think thats where it ends, when they realize the way they are or were isnt the way things have to be forever and THEY can do something about it!!!

Answer 12

That is debateable.  The kids I teach all mostly come from low income families with one parent or grandparent.  Some of the kids are willing or want to learn because of their parents pushing but some just WANT to learn.  But, unfortunately the vast majority of my students could care less.  The parents don't care much about thier own education, let alone care about their children's.  Kids now are only interested in what will make them money and what is on the computer.  It seems that the less the community the child lives in is educated, then the less interested the child is in learning.  Most parents nowdays have the opinion that it is the teacher's job to teach their children.  But, what about the things that should be learned before they go to school?  So, to answer the question, from what I have seen in the past years children's education and will to learn does directly result from the home or community the child lives in.

Answer 13

huuh