ABSTRACT
In chapters 3 through 10, we demonstrated that when we combined data from key aspects of parenting, marital, and three-generational relationships, or examined workplace conditions along with spouses’ support in the prekindergarten period, we could predict statistically significant proportions of the variance of children’s academic competence, social competence, and problem behaviors in kindergarten and first grade. The family-school connections obtained in this study, along with correlational research from other investigators cited in previous chapters, all point to a general, but unsurprising conclusion: When family relationships are positive and satisfying, children are better able to meet the challenges of early elementary school. This study has assessed these connections in a longitudinal context, and shown that specific aspects of family function, especially in combination, have rather substantial predictive power over a 1-and 2-year period. The consistency and strength of the associations suggest that if we can find ways to improve family relationships during the preschool period, children might be able to enter elementary school with more resources to meet the challenges of this transition. Of course, this hypothesis is based on the supposition that family relationship variables play a causal role in shaping children’s development.
