Early Family Environments May Moderate Prediction of Low Educational Attainment in Adulthood: The cases of childhood hyperactivity and authoritarian parenting

Abstract

Using longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study, this study explored conditions under which the effects of risk factors for low educational attainment might be moderated. Two different risk factors, hyperactivity and maternal authoritarian parenting attitudes, were studied. The results showed that on the whole these two risk factors were negatively related to educational attainment at age 26. However, mother's authoritarian parenting was not related to educational attainment in children raised in low‐resource (e.g., low social class) environments. Analogously, hyperactivity was less strongly associated with low educational attainment in children raised in low‐stimulation (e.g., maternal depression and low maternal educational attainment) environments. The implications of these findings for intervention programs are discussed.

Acknowledgement

The study reported in this paper was supported by a research fellowship award to Eirini Flouri from the UK Economic and Social Research Council.

Notes

1. The general certificate of secondary education (GCSE) was introduced in 1986, with the first examinations in 1988. It is the principal means of assessing pupil attainment at the end of compulsory secondary education. A (advanced) levels remain the “gold standard” academic qualification for the 16–19‐year‐old age group. These will normally be taken over two years (full‐time) at a sixth form college, school sixth form, tertiary college, or college of further education, and can give entry to higher education. Normally two or three A levels are studied (by those with the appropriate entry qualifications, usually five or more GCSEs at grades A–C).