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University Microfilnns International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor. Ml 48106 8311775 Martin-Huff, Ellen Marie PARENTAL AND CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES ON CHILDREN’S EARLY ADJUSTMENT TO KINDERGARTEN The Ohio State University Ph.D. 1983 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Copyright 1982 by Martin-Huff, Ellen Marie All Rights Reserved PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V 1. Glossy photographs or pages______ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print_____ 3. Photographs with dark background_____ 4. Illustrations are poor copyS 5. Pages with black marks, not original copyy/ 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page_____ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pagesS 8. Print exceeds margin requirements_____ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine______ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print_____ 11. Page(s)___________ lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s) ___________ seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages numbered____________ . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages______ 15. Other___________________________ _ _____________ __ ________________________ University Microfilms International PARENTAL AND CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES ON CHILDREN'S EARLY ADJUSTMENT TO KINDERGARTEN DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ellen Marie Martin-Huff, B.S., M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 1982 Reading Committee: Approved By Dr. C. Ray Williams Dr. Martha L. King Dr. Ellen Hock Dr. Patrick McKenry O' Adviser Educational Theory and Practice To Steven whose patience, devotion, and unfailing belief in me has made this project possible. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For any project of this kind, there are many people whose help and moral support have contributed to the final product. I would like to briefly mention those people who have greatly helped me in conducting this research project. I want to acknowledge the tremendous contribution made by my reading committee. I would like to thank my major advisor, Dr. C. Ray Williams for his support and guidance throughout the course of my graduate study. He taught me the value of asking complex questions and doubting easy answers. Many of the issues involved in this research were first raised in discussions with Dr. Williams. I would also like to express my regard and gratitude to Dr. Martha L. King who through her vast knowledge and unflinching belief in the capabilities of all students has shown me what it is to truly be an educator. Much of the credit for the specific questions and quantitative procedures employed in this study belongs to Dr. Ellen Hock. I am grateful to her for insisting that I look for empirical evidence to test theoretical ideas and personal beliefs. She taught me to question and to system atically analyze problems. I would also like to thank Dr. Patrick McKenry who has been a source of encouragement and inspiration during my iii work on this study and throughout my degree program. I am deeply grateful to these people who have not only contributed to this dissertation research but who have also influenced my personal and professional education and development. My family has also played an important role in this research project. I want to thank my husband, my parents, and my sisters for all the hours spent encouraging and consoling me, for their unswerving faith in my ability and for their constant love. Finally I would like to thank the children and parents who participated in this research. I owe a great debt to the school districts, principals, and teachers whose interest in this problem and belief in the value of educational research made this project possible. iv VITA July 14, 1953 ........... Born - Danville, Illinois 1974....................... B.S., Northwesten University, Evanston, Illinois 1974-1975 ................ Classroom Teacher, Saint Patrick School, Danville, Illinois 1975-1978 ................ Classroom Teacher, Pope John XXIII School, Columbus, Ohio 1978...................... M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1978-1982 ................ Graduate Associate, The Academic Faculty of Early and Middle Childhood Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio PUBLICATIONS Chapman, D. , Williams, R., and Martin-Huff, E. Early reading experiences: Some linguistic perspectives of parent/child interaction in book sharing situations. In W. Frawley (Ed.) Linguistics and Literacy, New York: Plenum Press, 1982. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Early Childhood Education Studies in Early Childhood Education. Professor C. Ray Williams Studies in Language Development. Professor Martha L. King Studies in Child and Family Development. Professors Ellen Hock and Patrick McKenry v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ...................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................. iii VITA ............................................................ v LIST OF T A B L E S .................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .................................................. xi Chapter I. THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM .............................. 1 Problem Statement .................................. 1 Background of the Problem.......................... 1 Procedures ........................................ 7 Related Issues .................................... 14 Organization of the R e p o r t ...................... 15 II. THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................... 17 Problem Statement .................................. 17 The Influence of Parental Attitudes on School Adjustment .................................. 18 The Influence of Preschool Experience and Child Variables on School Adjustment .................. 21 The Influence of Context on School Adjustment . 24 The Influence of Language on School Adjustment . 33 III. M E T H O D O L O G Y ............................................. 51 Problem Statement .................................. 51 Methodological Rationale ......................... 52 S u b j e c t s ........................................... 54 Instruments ........................................ 58 Data Collection .................................... 60 Data Analysis ...................................... 66 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS — Continued Chapter Page IV. QUANTITATIVE RESULTS .................................. 76 Problem Statement .................................. 76 Bivariate Relationships — Pearson Product- Moment Correlations ............................... 80 Multivariate Relationships — Multiple Regression 89 Multivariate Relationships — Canonical Correlation ........................................ 94 V. RYAN: A STUDY OF TRANSITION ......................... 103 Problem Statement .................................. 103 Description of Participants ...................... 105 The First Day of School ........................... 116 Context Analysis .................................. 133 Language Analysis .................................. 156 VI. D I S C U S S I O N ............................................. 163 Problem Statement .................................. 163 Interpretation .................................... 163 Limitations ........................................ 169 Implications for Research ........................