Doctoral Dissertation Research: Early Childhood Behavioral Skills and Educational Attainment

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Doctoral Dissertation Research: Early Childhood Behavioral Skills and Educational Attainment Douglas S. Massey (PI) Jayanti Owens (co-PI) Princeton University Project Summary This project examines the following topics: First, to what degree can higher levels of behavioral skills in early childhood increase an individual's likelihood of graduating from high school, and entering and progressing through college? Second, do differences by gender in early childhood behavioral skills, and in the interplay between behavioral and cognitive skills, shape what is commonly called the "female advantage" in educational outcomes? Third, to what degree has the growing trend towards family instability help explain widely noted gender gaps in early childhood behavioral skills, as well as the so-called "female advantage" in educational outcomes? To answer these questions, the study conducts quantitative analyses of a dataset that has followed children (and their mothers) from birth through their mid-twenties. The dataset used relies on series of federally funded efforts known as the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), and the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002). Findings from this study seek to inform educational researchers interested in the relative impact of family-based and school-based sources of learning. Findings will also advance research on the intergenerational dynamics that shape social inequality patterns. Broader Impact The proposed study seeks to offer new insights for curricular and other intervention programs that seek to boost children?s academic outcomes by targeting them in early childhood, such as Head Start. Findings could also be of interest to the general public, as the study might help document the cumulative and reinforcing effects of behavioral and cognitive skills for the persistent and growing gender gap in educational achievement and attainment. Together, this study offers parents, teachers, NGOs, and policy makers empirical evidence on the origins of and possible policy alternatives for addressing male disadvantages in educational attainment.