Social Capital and Children's Development: An Experimental Study

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究将测试社会资本对小学早期儿童社交和认知发展水平和不平等的因果影响。这里的社会资本是指嵌入父母、老师和孩子的社交网络中的信任和共同期望。对于幼儿来说，社会资本主要通过他们与父母的关系来运作，通过社会支持和社会控制机制促进发展。来自低收入拉丁裔家庭的儿童是这项研究的特别重点。该研究设计是实验性的：将通过经过充分测试的家庭和学校共同干预（FAST）来操纵社会资本，该干预措施将通过强化课后计划和为期 2 年的跟踪计划来增强家长、教师和儿童之间的社会资本。该研究将包括密尔沃基和圣安东尼奥的 52 所学校（约 208 名教师和 3,120 名一年级学生及其家人），其中一半学校随机选择进行干预，一半作为对照。实验设计将对社会资本的因果作用进行强有力的检验。该项目还将涉及一项实施研究，旨在阐明社会资本的产生和影响儿童发展的过程。拟议的研究是跨学科的，借鉴了社会学、心理学和经济学，反映了跨越家庭和学校界限的生态视角。因此，这项研究响应了早期发展的科学和生态学研究的号召。将评估儿童发展的关键方面，包括（a）社交技能和父母标准化行为评级中的问题行为； (b) 后者加上教师评价的学术能力； (c) 学校记录中的成绩保留率、出勤率以及三年级阅读和数学成绩。社会资本将通过对教师和家长的反复调查来衡量，这些调查涉及社交网络的范围、家长的参与、信任以及家长之间、家长与学校之间以及家长与孩子之间的共同期望。将使用多级统计模型对数据进行分析，该模型考虑到个人和学校分析水平的变化。相关性。拉丁裔是美国人口中增长最快的群体，也是最弱势的群体之一。拉丁裔家庭常常对学校系统有一种距离感，这可能会给孩子的学业和社会发展造成障碍，而这些都是公共卫生的重要方面。这项研究将为不同人口群体，特别是低收入拉丁裔家庭的儿童发展增加社会资本的价值提供实用和科学的见解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research will test the causal effects of social capital on levels and inequalities of children's social and cognitive development during the early elementary years. Social capital here refers to trust and shared expectations embedded in social networks of parents, teachers, and children. For young children, social capital operates primarily through their relationships with their parents, enhancing development through mechanisms of social support and social control. Children from low-income Latino families are a special focus of the study. The research design is experimental: social capital will be manipulated through a well-tested intervention Families and Schools Together (FAST) that will enhance the social capital among parents, teachers, and children through an intensive after-school program and a 2-year follow-up program. The study will include 52 schools in Milwaukee and San Antonio (about 208 teachers and 3,120 first graders and their families), with half the schools randomly selected for the intervention and half serving as controls. The experimental design will permit a strong test of the causal role of social capital. The project will also involve an implementation study intended to illuminate the processes by which social capital is generated and affects child development. The proposed research is interdisciplinary, drawing on sociology, psychology, and economics,and it reflects an ecological perspective that crosses boundaries between families and schools. The study thus responds to the call for research on the Science and Ecology of Early Development. Key aspects of child development will be assessed, including (a) social skills and problem behavior from standardized behavioral ratings by parents; (b) the latter plus academic competence as rated by teachers; and (c) grade retention, attendance rates, and third-grade reading and mathematics scores from school records. Social capital will be measured with repeated surveys of teachers and parents that address the extent of social networks, parent involvement, trust, and shared expectations among parents, between parents and schools, and between parents and children. Data will be analyzed with multilevel statistical models that take account of variation at the individual and school levels of analysis.RELEVANCE. Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and among the most disadvantaged. Latino families often perceive a sense of distance from the school system, which can create barriers to their children's academic and social development, important dimensions of public health. This study will yield practical as well as scientific insights into the value of increased social capital for development of children among a variety of demographic groups, and particularly those from low-income Latino families.