Investigation of Familial and School-Based Risk Factors for Hispanic Head Start Children.

N

33

Behavior Problems; Cognitive Development; Educationally Disadvantaged; Emotional Problems; Family Characteristics; High Risk Students; Hispanic Americans; Mothers; Personality; Play; Predictor Variables; Preschool Children; Preschool Education; Social Development; Stress Variables

The relationship of familial and school-based risk factors to socioemotional and learning problems was assessed in a sample of 69 Hispanic 3-year-old children in Head Start Programs in New York City. In a preliminary study of maternal stress, child temperament was identified as a significant predictor of child socioemotional problems. School risk factors investigated were solitary functional play; solitary dramatic play; parallel functional play; onlooker behavior; negative peer interactions; and attention span. Instruments used were the Maternal Stress Interview Schedule; the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP), which measures neural foundations, coordination, verbal and nonverbal skills, and complex tasks; and the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ), which measures hostile-aggressive, anxious-fearful, and hyperactive-distractible behaviors. Classroom observations were also made. As a result of the study, 24 percent of the sample were identified as at-risk for socioemotional problems as measured by the PBQ, and 37 percent were identified as at-risk for developmental and preacademic problems as measured by the MAP. Socioemotional problems related most strongly to school-based solitary play, negative peer interaction, and maternal reports of child temperament. Learning problems related most strongly to school-based attention span. Significant interactions relating to sex were found. The findings support a culturally sensitive, ecological transactional framework for assessing child behavior. A 57-item bibliography is included. (AC)

1993

ED352176