ABSTRACT
The previous chapter examined the associations between prior parental education, family proximal processes and children’s developmental outcomes. While much early development is viewed primarily as a function of the quality of parenting and the child’s own characteristics, the quality and nature of parenting itself is shaped by broader factors. This chapter takes a step back from the immediate parent-child relationship and turns to the internal features and characteristics of the family environment as factors influencing the context within which these relationships occur. We continue our focus on the context of family and on the relative importance of its key characteristics as mechanisms for passing down educational success and advantage to children. Key internal features of the family context identified here are:
• parental cognitions; • mental health and well-being; and • material resources.
