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The influence of differential sibling experiences on academic achievement

Lewis, Marcia Jackson
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1056464687

Abstract Details

1992, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Psychology.
The present study was designed to examine the role of nonshared environmental variance in academic achievement. Nonshared influences are those environmental factors which operate independently for each family member and are responsible for the differences between family members. This research had two primary purposes. The first was to follow-up on a sample of adolescent monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins which participated in a similar study of nonshared environment two years ago (Lewis & Thompson, 1990) and observe the consistency of their perceptions and pattern of results. The second purpose was to attempt to generalize findings to the general population by collecting similar data from a sample of sibling pairs. In addition, parents were asked to complete the measure of nonshared environment, the Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience (SIDE), in order to compare child and parent perceptions. The role of nonshared environment was examined in achievement differences within twin and sibling pairs and the individual achievement level of the child. Samples of 33 MZ, 13 DZ, and 38 sibling pairs participated in the study. Parents and children completed mail-in questionnaires and each child was interviewed separately by phone. Recent standardized achievement scores were obtained from the child's school. Results for the twin sample showed that those children who perceived more environmental differences had larger differences between their achievement scores. This pattern was not the same as two years ago, indicating a possible developmental effect. Twin agreement and parent-child agreement on the SIDE were low-moderate, and parents showed a different pattern of results than their children. Greater differential experience was consistently related to lower achievement. While the sibling sample replicated many findings from the twin design, results were generally fewer and weaker. The younger siblings replicated the pattern of the twins from two years ago while the older siblings did not, strengthening the developmental hypothesis. As with the twins, there was low parent-child agreement and differing results for each family member's perceptions.
Lee Thompson (Advisor)
106 p.
influence differential sibling experiences academic achievement

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lewis, M. J. (1992). The influence of differential sibling experiences on academic achievement [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1056464687

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lewis, Marcia. The influence of differential sibling experiences on academic achievement. 1992. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1056464687.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lewis, Marcia. "The influence of differential sibling experiences on academic achievement." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 1992. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1056464687

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1056464687
882
© 1992, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.