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Book Review: Home Environment and the School

Book Review: Home Environment and the School BOOK REVIEWS Home Environment and the School. Elizabeth Fraser. Scottish Council for Research in Education. XLII. University of London Press Ltd. Warwick Square, London, E.C.4. 1959. Pp. 75. 1716. The aim of this study has been " to determine to what extent the school progress of a child is related to factors in his home environment, and to compare this relationship with that existing between home environment and intelligence ". The sample comprises 408 secondary school pupils from Aberdeen, and, on the basis of data obtained from schools and from half-hour interviews with parents, Dr. Fraser has calculated coefficients of correlation between school achievement and four aspects of home environment : cultural, material, motivational, and emotional. Her main conclusions are that : (1) home environments are significantly correlated with achievement ; and (2) the extent of this correlation is greater than that between home environ- ments and intelligence. The study has obviously been done in a conscientious way, but this reviewer is left wondering two things : (a) Did the research worker know the achievement scores at the time of visiting the homes ? (b) Are Scottish housewives really as co-operative in a study of this kind as the report suggests ? Undoubtedly, Dr. Fraser is skilled at establishing rapport, but, as one who has carried out a very similar study in the London area, I shudder to think of administering such a lengthy interview schedule in such a short time. The findings of this study are in general agreement with those of many others-despite the author's reference to the " small number of studies in this field "-but the final conclusion that " a normal home background, emotional stability, freedom from tension and from economic insecurity, and consistent encouragement from parents are necessary for a child if his school work is to reach the level allowed by his intelligence " is surely somewhat stronger than the data would support. Such aspects facilitate satisfactory achievement, but it would be surprising if Dr. Fraser did not discover some children who triumphed despite the absence of them. On the other hand, there can be no quarrel with the claim that " the results of this enquiry may serve as a reminder that the child is part of an environment very much larger than that of the school, is vitally affected by the whole of that environment, and that his school progress by the attitudes which it encourages, by the motivation which it provides, and by the stability and security which he can derive from it ". It is this reminder which constitutes the main contribution of this report. w. J. CAMPBELL, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Sydney. The Geography of Air Trans9ort. Kenneth R. Sealy. Hutchinson University Library. London. 1957. Pp. 207. 1716. In an introductory portion of this book the author (a lecturer in economic geography at the London School of Economics) describes the r81e of the aero- plane in modern world transport, the significance and use of maps in air transport, the physical geography and technical and economic background of http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian Journal of Education SAGE

Book Review: Home Environment and the School

Australian Journal of Education , Volume 4 (2): 1 – Jul 1, 1960

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Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 1960 Australian Council for Educational Research
ISSN
0004-9441
eISSN
2050-5884
DOI
10.1177/000494416000400210
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS Home Environment and the School. Elizabeth Fraser. Scottish Council for Research in Education. XLII. University of London Press Ltd. Warwick Square, London, E.C.4. 1959. Pp. 75. 1716. The aim of this study has been " to determine to what extent the school progress of a child is related to factors in his home environment, and to compare this relationship with that existing between home environment and intelligence ". The sample comprises 408 secondary school pupils from Aberdeen, and, on the basis of data obtained from schools and from half-hour interviews with parents, Dr. Fraser has calculated coefficients of correlation between school achievement and four aspects of home environment : cultural, material, motivational, and emotional. Her main conclusions are that : (1) home environments are significantly correlated with achievement ; and (2) the extent of this correlation is greater than that between home environ- ments and intelligence. The study has obviously been done in a conscientious way, but this reviewer is left wondering two things : (a) Did the research worker know the achievement scores at the time of visiting the homes ? (b) Are Scottish housewives really as co-operative in a study of this kind as the report suggests ? Undoubtedly, Dr. Fraser is skilled at establishing rapport, but, as one who has carried out a very similar study in the London area, I shudder to think of administering such a lengthy interview schedule in such a short time. The findings of this study are in general agreement with those of many others-despite the author's reference to the " small number of studies in this field "-but the final conclusion that " a normal home background, emotional stability, freedom from tension and from economic insecurity, and consistent encouragement from parents are necessary for a child if his school work is to reach the level allowed by his intelligence " is surely somewhat stronger than the data would support. Such aspects facilitate satisfactory achievement, but it would be surprising if Dr. Fraser did not discover some children who triumphed despite the absence of them. On the other hand, there can be no quarrel with the claim that " the results of this enquiry may serve as a reminder that the child is part of an environment very much larger than that of the school, is vitally affected by the whole of that environment, and that his school progress by the attitudes which it encourages, by the motivation which it provides, and by the stability and security which he can derive from it ". It is this reminder which constitutes the main contribution of this report. w. J. CAMPBELL, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Sydney. The Geography of Air Trans9ort. Kenneth R. Sealy. Hutchinson University Library. London. 1957. Pp. 207. 1716. In an introductory portion of this book the author (a lecturer in economic geography at the London School of Economics) describes the r81e of the aero- plane in modern world transport, the significance and use of maps in air transport, the physical geography and technical and economic background of

Journal

Australian Journal of EducationSAGE

Published: Jul 1, 1960

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