Washington
Disadvantaged students of all races can improve their grades if schools and parents convince them to embrace the set of values commonly known as the “Protestant work ethic,” an unpublished study commissioned by the Education Department concludes.
According to the study, which was based on a 1980 survey of about 12,000 economically disadvantaged high-school sophomores, poor students who believe in the value of hard work, attend religious services regularly, and have parents and friends who encourage such traits are significantly more likely to have higher grades than students who do not.
Values Affect Performance
The report’s authors, Alan L. Ginsburg of the Education Department’s planning and evaluation service and Sandra L. Hanson of Decision Resources Corporation, also noted that a follow-up survey in 1982 “showed that initial values significantly affect later student performance.”
That finding, they said, supports the conclusion that belief in traditional values is not simply an end-product of high academic achievement, but rather an important factor influencing future success in school.”
“Encouragement of positive values is essential for higher [student] achievement,” wrote Mr. Ginsburg and Ms. Hanson in an executive summary of their study. “Remediation alone does not foster high aspirations to achieve educational excellence. If disadvantaged students are to believe they can succeed outside school, they must also be challenged to achieve success in school.”
Bennett Campaign
The study, titled “Gaining Ground: Values and High School Success,” is likely to provide Secretary of Education William J. Bennett with new ammunition in his campaign to promote what he has called “the education of character.”
Its findings linking religiosity with academic achievement also appear destined to figure in the ongoing debate over the Reagan Administration’s proposal to provide Chapter 1 educational aid to the disadvantaged in the form of vouchers that could be used to finance the cost of schooling in a church-affiliated institution.
Although the study has not been released yet, its main findings were cited in “What Works,” the recently released Education Department report on effective teaching and learning methods. (See Education Week, March 12, 1985.)
Asians’ Success
According to Mr. Ginsburg and Ms. Hanson, the study was prompted by recent research findings regarding the educational success of many children who have immigrated from Vietnam and other Asian countries. Studies of such children have indicated that the value their families place on education has often resulted in high academic achievement, even in spite of economic hardship.
“If values constitute a critical element in the Asian success story, then we need to learn whether these attributes are the source of success for children from other minority backgrounds or from low-income families who also perform well in school,” the authors wrote.
Mr. Ginsburg and Ms. Hanson based the study on a sample of 11,885 students surveyed in 1980 and 1982 as part of the Education Department’s massive longitudinal study of students, “High School and Beyond.” The students, all of whom came from families whose socioeconomic status was below the national median, were subdivided by race and by their academic standing.
According to the two researchers, belief in traditional values was associated with high academic achievement across all races.
Study’s Findings
With respect to beliefs about work, for example, the researchers found that 79 percent of the students whose grades placed them in the 80th percentile or higher agreed with the statement, “I like to work hard in school,” compared with 30 percent of the students who placed in the 20th percentile or lower. In addition, 78 percent of the high achievers expressed a belief in the value of “planning ahead,” compared with 54 percent of the low achievers.
Mr. Ginsburg and Ms. Hanson found a similar difference between the two student groups with respect to beliefs about religion. About 85 percent of the high achievers reported they were somewhat or very religious, compared with 67 percent of the low achievers. The high achievers were almost twice as likely as the low achievers (48 percent versus 27 percent) to participate in church activities.
The researchers said they also found that parents and friends exert a considerable degree of influence on disadvantaged children. “Parents of superior students were more likely to monitor their homework, think their children should attend college, and converse with them about the children’s experiences,” they wrote. The high achievers also were more likely to report that their closest friends attended school regularly and planned to attend college.”
“These results suggest that schools and parents need to encourage positive values in students from all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds,” Mr. Ginsburg and Ms. Hanson concluded in a summary of the report addressed to Mr. Bennett. “These findings reinforce your public statement that ‘the development of character and intellect must go hand in hand.’”
