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The Role of Family Household Composition and Household Transitions in the Educational Performance of Latina/o Children of Immigrants

Abstract

Latina/o children of immigrant parents are a growing proportion of the population, yet we know little about the association between family household composition and their academic performance. Family household composition encompasses the number of parents and the types of extended relatives in a household. Children now spend more time in a single-parent household and live with extended relatives such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles at greater rates. Family household composition is important because who children live with has implications for their early academic performance. I draw on resource deprivation and instability-stress theories to explore how family household composition and household transitions shape the educational performance of Latina/o children of immigrants. Using the nationally representative ECLS-K:2011 data for children enrolled in kindergarten in the spring of 2011, I find key differences in children’s membership in single-parent and extended households when considering race/ethnicity, immigrant generation, and socioeconomic status. I also examine the impact of family household composition on mathematics and reading outcomes and find that Latina/o children of immigrant parents perform lower than White children of native-born parents. Lastly, I analyze the role of household disruptions involving the exit or entry of either a parent or extended relative between kindergarten and fourth grade and find that they can be at times detrimental for children’s later academic performance. Household compositions and transitions explain differences in academic outcomes by race/ethnicity and immigrant generation with Latina/o children of immigrant parents underperforming compared to Latina/o children of native-born parents. I contribute to further understanding the detrimental role family household composition and household transitions can play in the academic performance of Latina/o children of immigrants.

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