Academic Achievement Among Adopted and Nonadopted Children in Early School Years

Abstract

The study examined academic achievement among adopted and nonadopted children in Norway. The adopted group included children adopted from China, South Korea, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Colombia. The study also included a control group of nonadopted classmates with same gender and age. The findings show no significant differences in academic achievement between adopted and nonadopted in either first or third grade, but a greater variety in adopted children’s performance. Adopted children received more special education and more support from parents than nonadopted classmates did. Language skills and hyperactive behavior made a significant contribution in explaining the variance in academic achievement among adopted children.

Keywords:

• International adoption
• academic achievement
• language skills
• behavior and social skills

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this research was received from the Ministry of Children and Equality, Norway.